IG2 Book ONE : No Less Human
by Fangirl Alinesfanfics
Summary: ***STORY ONE OF a 5 book series *** Gadget must protect a dangerous prisoner-but falls in love with her as cyborg-hating Alicia learns to trust him.He also gets a chance to upgrade his robotic body-but the procedure is not without risk.. **Set 10 years after the MOVIE "INSPECTOR GADGET 2"**
1. Chapter 1

**No Less Human**

**Author Note: **

**This is the FIRST in a FIVE BOOK series.**

**This story follows on with:**

**IG2 BOOK 2: Man and Machine**

**IG2 BOOK 3: The Rise of Lazarus**

**IG2 BOOK 4: Doomsday Machine**

**IG2 BOOK 5: Silver Sentinel.**

*****There is also a tie in book by EricaX called' Inspector and Deputy', which fills in missing scenes from this five book series.*****

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><p><strong>Plot Summary:<strong>

**This story is set 10 years after the movie "Inspector Gadget 2" :**

**Gadget is under pressure to make an upgrade to his components because although he was the prototype for the modern day cyborg, technology has come a long way since then and he is becoming out dated and the Chief wants him to get rid of his old fashioned technology – or replace him with a newer, slicker model whose weapons and gadgets do not fail or malfunction.**

**While Gadget considers this, he also fights his own personal demons over the fact that he did not choose to become a cyborg in the first place – the consequence of this has left him feeling even lonelier since the death of his robotic partner G2 seven years before. Gadget wonders if he should go ahead and have the upgrade – purely to have more efficient gadgets and weaponry to ensure he keeps his job.**

**Then he is asked to keep watch over the potentially dangerous Alicia Mackenzie – whose late father Victor was responsible for the rise of an anti cyborg movement who have built sinister cyborg reprocessing plants and spread hateful anti cyborg propaganda - and who were also responsible for the mysterious disappearance of Claw... Gadget is to guard her until she testifies in court against her father's remaining associates – which she is only doing in exchange for her own freedom.**

**At first he wonders if he can deal with the hatred Alicia has been conditioned to have for cyborgs, then Gadget gets to know her and as barriers are slowly broken down he struggles at first to show her the human side of his kind, but as they from a friendship he also tries to fight the fact that he is falling in love with her.**

**But just as Gadget begins to gain her trust, he comes to realise just what having a complete upgrade could mean for him – the chance to have more than just his gadgets and weaponry replaced – a chance to become more human again and have something he has not been able to have since he became a cyborg – the chance to have a full physical relationship once more...**

**While he wonders if he ought to do it, he also wonders what he ought to do about Alicia - because he is also attracted to Dr Lula Smith, the cybernetics expert who is the only person capable of carrying out his upgrade. **

**His now grown up niece Penny, concerned only with his happiness, urges him to go ahead and have his robotic body rebuilt and improved – but Gadget has not told her the procedure is not without risk - nor does she know he is haunted by memories of the day he became a cyborg, the day when he had no choice in something that turned him into half man and half machine. He also knows if he chooses to do it that very act could turn Alicia against him as she accuses him of becoming something she has been conditioned to despise – a man who seeks immortality through joining flesh with living metal...**

**And while Gadget struggles with his decision, followers of Mackenzie's late father plan to execute Alicia before she can testify against the other leaders of the anti cyborg establishment...**

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><p><strong>Rated T for adult subjects and discussions, some intimacy and some scenes of violence and references to violence.<strong>

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is a work of fan fiction.**

**And a Word of Thanks:**

***** Thank you to "Mrs Edward Cullen" for making me laugh when I felt like crying – and thanks for _that_ Go Go Gadget joke too – it got me writing this story a lot sooner than I'd planned! - Love Aline *****

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><p><span>No Less Human<span>

Chapter One

Gadget was cruising along the empty road in his dark suit and his trench coat and his fedora hat and talking to Gadget mobile as he drove.

"It's been a few years since the Chief asked me to work on a big case. I'm confused - there _is_ no crime in Riverton, I came to that conclusion a few years back..."

"Maybe it's _not_ about a crime." Replied his car, "Maybe it's something _else_."

A brief flash of panic showed in Gadget's eyes as he recalled the time he had been demoted to the role of toilet cleaner.

"I haven't arrested his mother again ...I haven't arrested _anyone_ for a long time..."

Then he began to worry even more.

"Maybe it's because I _haven't _made any arrests!"

As he drove on he gripped the wheel harder and the sunlight bounced off the gold band he still wore on the third finger of his left hand. At that moment he had never missed G2 more than he did right now.

"It was different in the old days, me and G2, we made a good team..."

Gadget thought of his late wife and drew in a sharp breath as he recalled it like yesterday; one minute she had been laughing about making yet another joke and the next she was rigid on the couch, frozen as the light began to spark out of her sapphire blue eyes.

_She had been the next generation in robotic technology. _

_She wasn't riddled with glitches but she had essential circuitry that was way too advanced for its time - and fatally flawed. _

_She had burned out beyond repair. _

_That was the reason they didn't build androids any more; science wasn't ready to make the kind of android that could keep working indefinitely..._

_But cyborg technology had come a long way since he had been the prototype - ten years on from the day he met G2, cyborg technology was being considered the future of the human race._

_But that was little consolation to him; he had lost G2. They had been married for three years. That was seven years ago and he still missed her..._

"I wish she was still here." He said and Gadget mobile heard the pain in his voice and the car gave a sigh.

"Gadget, _she's gone!_ Don't start getting depressed all over again – you've still got Penny."

"And she's grown up now. I can't believe I walked her down the aisle a year ago!"

"She married a nice guy, she's known him since high school. _And_ he's a cop too!" Gadget mobile reminded him, then the car laughed. "_And_ he's got cyborg implants. I guess she wanted to marry a guy who reminded her of her Uncle Gadget."

Gadget thought about Penny's husband and smiled.

"He's not a cop, Max is a government agent. And he's _not_ like me, he's just got a security scanner inside his eye."

"That's close enough!" Gadget mobile told him, "Ever heard it said that girls sometimes grow up to marry a guy like their Dad?"

"I'm _not_ her Dad –"

"_But you're as good as."_

Hearing those words made Gadget smile.

"Thanks." He said warmly, "That means a lot."

"And you've still got Brain." Gadget mobile reminded him, "You'll have that dog _forever!_"

"That's true." Gadget replied, recalling how Brain had been given an experimental formula to extend his lifespan to match human years. That was one of the advantages of being the prototype cyborg; he was always around at the right time to check out new inventions whenever he needed some work done on his glitches...

"But Brain's over at Penny's house - I only get him at the weekends." He reminded his car, "She misses him when he's not around."

"And who misses _you_ when you're not around?"

Gadget thought about it.

"Well I don't have anyone now G2's gone."

Then as he thought about what he had just said the smile faded from his face as he headed up the road.

"Exactly!" His car told him, "You need a girlfriend, Gadget!"

"I had a wife but she malfunctioned and passed away. I won't find another G2."

The Gadget mobile gave a sigh.

"She doesn't have to be a _robot!_"

Gadget looked at the road ahead and thought about his reply before he spoke.

"I don't really think I've got enough to offer a woman who isn't made like me." He replied, "It just wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

Gadget turned the corner and headed into town, towards Riverton Police Department.

"_Why not?"_ Said the Gadget mobile again.

"Can we just _drop_ this subject? You wouldn't understand, you're a _car!_"

"I'm _much_ more than just a car, Gadget! What's the big deal that you can't talk to a _friend_ like me about it? That hurts! Come on; just tell me what's up?"

Gadget stopped the car outside the Police Department.

He gave a sigh.

"Just drop the subject, Gadget mobile. I have to go and see the Chief."

As Gadget walked towards the entrance, he was still wondering why Quimby wanted to see him, because there _was_ no crime in Riverton, he knew it for a fact because he had cleaned this town up so well the crime rate was still at zero and had been since he trapped Claw's henchmen with his_ go go gadget bubblegum_ ten years ago...

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><p>Chief Quimby was busy filling in paperwork when Gadget walked into his office and sat down.<p>

"Inspector." He said, "I have a job for you."

Gadget stared at him.

"A job? As in a _real_ crime fighting job for _me_, Riverton's greatest crime fighter?"

"Well not exactly –"

A light bulb popped out of Gadget's hat and lit up with a brilliant shine as he had an idea.

"You've finally located _Claw?_"

"No." Quimby said firmly.

The light went out and the bulb retracted back into his hat. Gadget looked at him in confusion.

"So what's this about, Chief?"

The Chief checked his watch.

"I'm just waiting for Special Agent Max Evans and then we can begin."

"Max? What's Penny's husband got to do with it, he's a government agent –"

Chief Quimby gave a sigh

"I just told you that part, Gadget! Now let's just sit and wait and when he gets here I'll explain everything. And pay attention!"

The door opened and Max walked in.

Gadget smiled at the tall, fair haired guy who had married his niece.

"Hi Max!"

"Hi Gadget." He said, sitting beside him facing the Chief, "I'd like to say this is a friendly visit but I'm afraid it's business."

Gadget looked at the Chief.

"What's this about?" He wondered.

Chief Quimby rotated a screen on his desk and began to play some film.

"I dare say you'll recognise what this is about, Gadget..."

Gadget smiled and nodded.

"Of course, there's not much I don't know about!"

Then he watched as a tall man with greying hair sat at the head of a table. Beside him sat a woman much younger than him, no older than thirty, with long, dark hair that fell to her shoulders. Diamonds sparkled at her throat and she smiled and turned her head to speak to a slightly younger, blonde female and older man with dark hair tied back in a short pony tail. It was some kind of party and the venue was luxurious, as the older man with the grey hair got up to speak, the crowed room stood up in unison to applaud him.

Gadget knew the Chief was talking but he was lost in his own daydream...

_He was walking up to that table as he was announced as Inspector Gadget, Riverton's finest crime fighter... then he kissed her hand and as blue hearts lit up on his hat they reflected in her eyes._

"_Gadget..." She said dreamily "It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_Their eyes locked._

"_The pleasure's all mine, Your Majesty." He replied..._

There was a thump on the desk; it was Chief Quimby's fist.

"GADGET!" He snapped sharply.

"What, Chief?"

Gadget blinked, wishing he was back in that day dream.

"I told you to pay attention!" The Chief said, "Now tell me, what you know about these people?"

Gadget looked at him blankly.

"What's to know? She's pretty and it looks like a great party!"

Chief Quimby gave a sigh of despair while Max smiled and shook his head.

"Gadget," Max said, "The guy at the head of the table was Victor Mackenzie. The woman beside him is his daughter Alicia. The other two are his closest associates, a couple named Laura and Jason Riley. This meeting was secretly filmed a year ago – as you know Victor Mackenzie was killed during his attempted apprehension. We've rounded up all of his main associates except for the Rileys who remain at large –"

Max stopped right there, seeing the slightly vacant and clueless look in Gadget's eyes.

"You do _know _what I'm talking about?"

"No." Gadget admitted.

Chief Quimby gave a weary sigh.

"Why don't you pay attention to _anything_ that happens outside of Riverton, Inspector? Victor Mackenzie was the head of the _ACR!_"

Gadget thought about it. Then he smiled.

"Of course I know about the _ACR!_"

Then his smile vanished and he looked sharply at Max.

"_Why_ would your people want to kill the leader of the _Anti Claw Resistance_? I heard all about how Claw was rumoured to have met up with them five years ago – and he _disappeared!_"

The Chief stared at Gadget and so did Max.

"Claw disappeared because they probably _killed_ him! And they're _not_ the _Anti Claw Resistance,_ you stupid fool – ACR stands for the _Annihilation of the Cyborg Race!_ They're a dangerous underground political movement, fascists who want to wipe out all cyborg life and have people like _you_ taken apart in reprocessing plants!"

Gadget stared back at the Chief and as he took in his words he felt sure the chill that swept through what remained inside of his human body spread through his robotic parts too.

"_Reprocessing?"_ He repeated quietly.

Max took up the rest of the explanation:

"Mackenzie was a wealthy businessman who bought up a large number of old abattoirs and had them refitted with machinery to do the job. I shot some film of one of the plants, I'll give you a copy you can take a look at it later. When we tried to apprehend him Mackenzie was shot dead. We managed to round up all his associates who had the potential to carry on his intentions and now it's all come to light publicly his political movement is over. But to keep his associates in jail we need a witness at the trial who can testify against them. That's why his daughter Alicia's turned against her own people – mainly I think to keep herself out of jail; she certainly hasn't lost any of her father's attitude."

"And that's where _you_ come in to the plan." Chief Quimby told him.

Gadget stared at him, feeling confused.

"Me? How?"

"Alicia Mackenzie agreed to testify in return for freedom. But the Rileys got to her before we could take her into protective custody and they abducted her and tortured her for turning against her own people."

"_Tortured?"_ Gadget said in a shocked voice, "She's been tortured by these people?"

Quimby just carried on explaining.

"We managed to get her back but we lost the Rileys. So the safest place for Alicia Mackenzie to be right now is in a town like Riverton – a place with a zero crime rate, we need to keep her here until she testifies. And as you're Riverton's finest crime fighter, I want _you_ to take care of her, Gadget."

"Me? But she hates cyborgs."

Quimby's expression softened as he looked at the not too bright inspector who some how _always_ managed to solve his cases in the end.

"You're a fine detective, Gadget. And it's hard _not_ to learn to get along with you, okay, I'll admit it - you're a _likeable_ kind of guy. And I want you to find out _exactly_ what she knows because she swears she knows nothing about the reprocessing plants. And she also swears she knows nothing about the disappearance of Claw. If anyone can find out what she really knows, it's _you_."

Although the thought of her late father's plans for cyborgs chilled him to his metal core he smiled and his eyes glowed with pride to hear the Chief speaking so well of him.

"I'll give this job everything I've got, Chief. You can count on me."

"Fine." Chief Quimby replied, "I'll just get these documents signed and you can take custody of Alicia Mackenzie."

He scratched at the paper and slammed the pen down.

"Why did it have to run out of ink at a time like this?" He complained.

Gadget was still smiling.

"Go go gadget pen!" He said helpfully, and a hand shot out of his hat holding a pen, that extended towards the Chief and squirted ink all over his face.

Quimby grabbed a handkerchief and tried to wipe it off.

"_Gadget!"_ He fumed.

"I'm sorry." Gadget said as the hand disappeared back into his hat, "You know how it is ...I get these _glitches_..."

He glanced at Max, who was laughing quietly.

Then he looked back at Chief Quimby, who was angry and ink stained.

"Sorry about that." He told him again.

"Gadget," The Chief said, "We have a lot of money invested in the Gadget programme. I've had enough excuses from you; I want you to call Dr. Lula Smith and discuss the possibility of having some sort of an upgrade."

Gadget felt the whole of his robotic body tense at the thought of going over to the new lab, the big one that specialised in state of the art cybernetics.

He took in a deep breath and briefly looked down at the floor as a door he had firmly shut on the day his car blew up with him inside it threatened to burst open and hit him with the images from nightmares that he never wanted to revisit; _it all came together in the single recollection that he had woken up with more than half his body replaced and all he wanted at the time was to have his body back, all of it , even if it didn't work any more, even if it was maimed... He wanted every single part of him back they had taken away..._

"Gadget?"

Quimby was speaking again.

Gadget looked up from the floor and hushed aside thoughts of the past, knowing the path his thoughts were taking right now was a dark one and guaranteed to bring him out in a sweat at any moment if he didn't change the subject quickly...

"I'll get around to it eventually." He said quickly.

"_Eventually_ won't keep you in a job, Gadget. These days it's easy to find someone to replace you – they might not have your gadgets but there are a lot of people qualified to protect Riverton who have some degree of advanced technology inside their bodies. Cyborg enhancements are commonplace these days. Speak to her about the upgrade or I'll ask her to call you...I'm sure I have her card here somewhere..."

Gadget silently wished he could just extend one of his arms and grab Quimby by the throat and say, _"But it's my body!" –_ Instead he just changed the subject, purely because he didn't want to get fired.

"So I can take custody of Alicia Mackenzie right now?"

Chief Quimby searched his desk and found another pen and signed some papers. He handed them back to Max.

"You can have her– Agent Evans will take you to her. And Gadget, remember who she is. _Don't_ let her fool you into thinking she's some kind of poor helpless victim in all this. _She's not_."

Then Quimby reached for a business card.

"Take this – it's Dr. Smith's number-"

But the door had already shut firmly; Gadget had left the room before he had a chance to hand the card over.

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><p>Gadget hurried away from the Chief's office and followed Max down a stairway.<p>

"This leads to the holding cells."

"I know." Max replied.

"But she's a woman who's been_ tortured!_ You can't just lock her up in a _cell!_"

As they reached the bottom of the stairs Max handed him a small silver disc.

"Go ahead, put it in your arm and run it right now. You'll see the stuff her father had planned for people like you - it's a real chamber of horrors. "

Gadget pulled up his sleeve and opened a compartment in his arm.

"I keep my batteries in there. I don't have the kind of technology to run a disc like that."

Max sighed.

"Then I suggest you watch it tonight while she's sleeping. And you _really_ need an upgrade."

Gadget shot him a hurt look.

"Don't you start about that too!"

"I was just trying to be helpful." Max said, then he changed the subject.

"She's over here." He said, heading towards a locked door.

"She's cuffed right now but she's wearing a security collar so if she tries to escape she'll get a shock that's strong enough to knock her out. She knows what it is, I don't think she'll try to run. And remember she's a prisoner until she testifies."

Gadget looked doubtfully at Max.

"It's not like you to treat a prisoner like this. I thought you had more humanity in you, Max."

"Gadget, she's potentially dangerous. We had to do this to her, it's standard procedure when transferring dangerous prisoners."

He looked at the man who had married his niece and guessed that deep down in his heart, Max thought he was doing the right thing. He didn't want to fall out with him but he wasn't going to accept something that he objected to, either.

"And she's _my_ prisoner now." He reminded him.

Max unlocked the door.

"You go in there and I'll wait outside for you."

Gadget laughed.

"I saw her on the film in a silk dress and diamonds – I_ think_ I can handle her, Max!"

Then Gadget went into the cell and closed the door behind him.

The cell was dimly lit, who ever had controlled the lighting had turned it right down and he could hear soft, shallow breathing coming from the bed in the corner of the room. The person who was sitting on it shrank back into the shadows and started to breathe faster.

Gadget stayed the middle of the room and made no attempt to get closer because he could hear it with every breath she took; that woman was terrified.

"Alicia Mackenzie?" He said, "My name's Inspector Gadget, I'm with Riverton Police and I've come to take you into protective custody until you testify. And just in case you _have_ heard of Riverton's greatest detective, yes, I am _that_ Gadget – I _am_ a cyborg. But I won't hurt you, I'm here to _protect_ you - have you got that?"

She took in a sharp breath and exhaled, and then she took in another.

"I'm Alicia Mackenzie, daughter of the human preservationist Victor Mackenzie who was murdered by the government!" She breathed again and spoke once more. "He was not an evil man, it's all _lies! _Lies made up by _your_ kind, men who seek immortality – evil men who mutilate their bodies and sacrifice their flesh and their humanity in pursuit of _eternal life!_"

Gadget had expected, after hearing about the reprocessing plants, to have at least been slightly offended by what Alicia might have said. Instead all he heard was a frightened woman repeating the kind of phrases he expected to hear from someone who had gown up a round a fanatic who hated cyborgs - and it wasn't difficult to stay calm.

He took another step closer.

"Well I'm mostly robotic - at least, I am on the outside. I still have human organs and they work along side the cyborg part of me and I'm not interested in lying about anything or about the pursuit of immortality – I'm just a police Inspector from Riverton who wants to look after you and make sure nothing happens to you. What did the Rileys do to you, Alicia?"

"_Why do you care?"_ She yelled, _"I'm Victor Mackenzie's daughter, why do you care what happens to me?"_

"Because without you some very bad men will walk free from court- and if I don't look after you the Rileys or others like them will find you and probably kill you if they get a second chance. I'm going to trust you _not_ to try and fight me. If you do I'll have to restrain you and that might hurt because I'm a cyborg and I'm equipped for almost any situation. Now I'm going to come over and sit next to you and take that collar off your neck because I think it's a very nasty device and I don't believe in using them under any circumstances."

She shrank back against the wall as he sat down beside her.

Gadget placed his hands on the collar and then slipped his fingers beneath it.

Alicia stiffened at his touch.

"Keep still." He said quietly, "I'm not going to disconnect this thing; I'm going to break it because I don't _like_ it and I _don't_ want it used on anyone else. Don't move until it's off you – I'm going to take the electrical surge through my body. It won't hurt me, I'm built for this kind of stuff."

They were still in semi darkness and she looked back at the shadow of the man in the trench coat and fedora hat who had his hands tightly about the collar around her throat.

"Why are you doing this for me?" She demanded.

"I'd do it for anyone." Gadget told her, "I don't believe in devices that can electrocute people – you want to know what I think is evil? _This thing around your neck is evil!_"

He gripped the collar. She gasped as it snapped and an electrical charge crackled about his hands.

Gadget drew in a sharp breath as the power hit him, then he tossed the device to the floor.

"Its gone." He hold her, "Can you breathe better now?"

She took in a deeper breath.

"Yes I can."

Gadget looked up at the dimmed lights.

"It's too dark in here." He said.

"Leave it." She whispered, not wanting to see what this part man, part machine looked like.

"Lights _on_." He said loudly, using voice command to snap the lights on to full power.

As the cell was bathed in bright light, Alicia blinked several times and looked at the man sitting beside her.

Then she stared at him: He looked so human, he had kindness and concern in his eyes and that was the _last_ thing she had expected after everything she had been told about the cyborg race...

"_You don't look like a machine."_ She whispered.

Gadget didn't reply to that remark. He was looking at the bruises on her arms the bruise on her face, the cut above her eye. Her grey dress was dirty and torn and her shoulder length hair was now an uneven mess where someone had hacked it off unevenly.

"Which one of them assaulted you?" He asked her.

Recalling her father's former associates who had beaten her was enough to prompt her to tell the truth.

"It was Jason Riley who beat me."

Gadget reached out to her face, purely to get a closer look at the cut above her eye but she jerked away from his touch.

"Did he assault you in any other way?"

"No."

"Have you had any medical attention for that cut?"

"No, I'm fine. _Leave me alone_."

She looked at him coldly but deep concern did not leave his eyes as he looked back at her.

"I think those cuffs are too tight." He said gently as he noticed the way the steel was biting into her wrists.

Gadget pressed his finger against the lock.

"Go go gadget skeleton key." He said quietly.

Alicia stared as a key slid out of his fingertip, turned in the lock and then retracted back into his finger once more.

The cuffs had slipped off but she was still staring at him, staring at the way the top of his finger had snapped back into place once more.

"That was..."

Gadget smiled.

"One of my gadgets." He explained, "I was_ the_ cyborg prototype. That's why I'm slightly basic compared to later models. I'm not too good with it sometimes - I've got so many gadgets I can't even count them all but sometimes I just can't control them - I get a lot of glitches. But it is clever, don't you think?"

His smile faded as Alicia continued to stare at him with a look of disgust on her face.

"That was..._vile_." She told him, finding the only word she could think of to describe her first experience of seeing flesh and metal working in unison, _"That was so freakish and unnatural and alien and –"_

"Okay!" Gadget said quickly, standing up and taking her by the hand, "It's time to go."

He pulled her to her feet and kept hold of her hand.

"I get the message; you think my gadgets are disgusting, I guess you would think like that because you've had a lifetime of being told to hate people like me. So I'll try _not_ to use them in front of you. Now we are going to walk out of here and get in my car and I'm taking you home."

Gadget's eyes suddenly hardened as he locked his gaze on her.

"When we leave this building, if you try and run I can extend my _freaky_ arms a _very_ long way to catch you. Or I can just grab hold of you and pop a handcuff out of my wrist and cuff you to me. I guess you don't want either of those things to happen?"

She shook her head.

_"I won't run."_ She said quietly.

Gadget opened the cell door and led her out.

Max was still outside waiting for him and he glanced in the cell at the busted collar snapped in half on the floor.

"Thanks a _lot!_ Those things are expensive, my boss –"

"You boss shouldn't even condone the use of those things." Gadget told him.

Then he lowered his voice.

"And don't say a word to Penny about any of this – I don't want her to know I'm on this job, just in case it gets dangerous."

"I don't take my work home with me." Max replied, "But she'll want to see you at the weekend..."

"So make an excuse. Get her to call me instead."

"I don't think she'll listen to me."

"Just _try_."

Max nodded.

"I'll try but you know she's going to come over to the house no matter what I say."

Gadget thought about the potential danger posed by the Rileys who still wanted to kill Alicia.

Then he thought about his niece, the closest he had to a real family, the child he had raised as his own who was now grown up married – and eight weeks pregnant with her first child... Penny had _always _found a way to work with him on his cases - Penny was smart too – if he was honest with himself he knew he couldn't have dealt with Claw back when Penny was a kid, not without her help...but he wanted to keep her out of this, he wanted to keep her far away from danger.

"You have to try." Gadget told Max, "I don't want her getting involved in _anything_ that could be dangerous."

"Neither do I." Max agreed.

Then Gadget tightened his grip on Alicia's hand.

"Come on," He said to her, "I'll take you out of here now. You can meet my car. _Did I mention it can talk?_"

She shot him a horrified glance.

Gadget just smiled and led her out of Riverton Police Department.

* * *

><p>"So who's your friend, Gadget?" Said Gadget mobile as they drove towards home.<p>

"Her name's Alicia and she's in my protective custody." Gadget replied.

As the fields sped past Alicia looked out at the quiet roads and wished she could have got away some how and just run, up that empty road, across that wide, flat field – even if it led to nowhere – but if she did she knew she would be alone and she knew she would be hunted and anything was better than the possibility of the Rileys finding her again – _anything_ was better than that – even being stuck with a half man half machine called Gadget and his talking car...

"You don't say much, do you?" Wondered Gadget mobile.

"_Not to a vehicle, no."_ She said quietly.

"Gadget, I don't think she likes me!" The car protested.

"She doesn't like anyone right now." Gadget explained, "She's never seen a car like you before. I think its best if you stay quiet. We don't want to frighten her."

Alicia looked at him sharply.

"I'm not afraid of your _car!_"

Gadget kept his hands on the wheel and glanced at her.

"That's nice to know."

Then he looked back at the road once more. As they passed some houses and turned another corner she wondered how much further this journey would take her- and how long she would be stuck in this car next to Gadget. She thought about his conversation with Agent Evans back at the Police Department.

"Who's Penny?" She asked him.

"My niece." Gadget replied, "That guy from the government agency who bought you to Riverton – he's her husband. She married him last year. I brought Penny up for half her life; I'm like a father to her."

As they carried on down the road she wondered what awaited her when they got to his house.

"Do you live with..._ others_ like you?"

"No." Gadget replied,"I live alone. My wife died seven years ago. I've got a dog but he spends half his time with Penny these days."

Alicia turned her head and looked at him.

"I'm sorry." She said.

Gadget glanced at her with a slightly clueless look in his eyes.

"Oh, don't be sorry! _I still see Brain at the weekends.._."

"Brain?"

_"My dog."_

Alicia stared at him.

"I meant your _wife_. I'm sorry to hear about your wife passing away."

"It was very sudden." He told her, "I wasn't expecting it."

"Do you have any children?" She wondered.

Gadget kept his face turned to the road so she couldn't see the sadness in his eyes - because he wasn't about to explain to her that the robotic body he had been forced to accept in order to save his life so long ago had also taken away any possibility that he might one day become a father.

"No." He replied," I don't have any children."

"What about your niece?" She wondered, "Did you force Penny to become like you? _Is she a cyborg?_"

Gadget gripped the wheel harder as he pushed back the rage that was threatening to burst out of him at any minute and he wasn't sure how his gadget command system would translate that, either... she was getting _very_ close to finding out what it was like to get on the wrong side of him and she just didn't know it...

He glared at her.

"My niece is human. I love her very much. _Why_ would I want her to be like me?"

Alicia blinked.

"_Because you're obviously committed to turning yourself into a machine, I thought you might have done the same to your niece."_

"Take over, Gadget mobile!" He said sharply.

Then as the car drove them towards home he turned around in his seat and looked hard at Alicia.

"You don't know _anything_ about me!" He snapped, "All you need to know is I love Penny like my own daughter and if you think people like me go around forcing other people to have their bodies taken apart and replaced with machinery you're _very wrong!_ That's the most_ offensive_ thing I've ever heard in my life - _and if you don't shut it up I'll shut you up myself!_"

Gadget realised that had sounded like a threat and he regretted his choice of words as fear flashed in her eyes.

"Spoken like the true monster that you are!" She said bitterly, _"You just can't confront the reality of the choices you made for yourself when you took that step marry your flesh to machinery!"_

Gadget's eyes turned glassy with tears of rage as he shook his head.

"You're wrong. You don't know anything about me, Alicia." He said quietly.

She closed her hand into a fist and turned it around, showing him a tattoo on the back of her hand inscribed with the letters ACR.

"The only alteration I ever had made to my body is right here, Inspector. _Annihilation of the Cyborg Race_. I had this insignia inscribed on my sixteenth birthday at my father's request and I was proud to do so."

As she spoke again hatred burned in her eyes as she repeated everything she had been taught to believe:

"It will ever remind me that I am one of many who believe in the preservation of the human state of being, free from the vile corruption of metal and machinery that turn men like _you_ into monsters! That's why I'm proud to wear it: One world, one race, the _human_ race - this planet is intended for organic humans, _not_ for men made of tin!"

Her words cut deep.

_"You don't know how I came to be the way I am today!"_ He said sharply.

"I know this," She stated, "You _chose_ it. You wanted to become this _thing_ that you are today! _You wanted to become a cyborg!_"

A thought raced through Gadget's mind that maybe he should tell his car to turn around and go back to Riverton Police Department so he could cuff her to the door with a note for Quimby that said, _Take her back, I can't handle this case..._

Then he took a deep breath and looked back at Alicia: She didn't know what she was talking about. She didn't know what he had gone through, she knew nothing of the events that had turned him into the cyborg he was today – she didn't know he had been given no choice in the matter...

"Go go gadget..." He thought about it for a moment, _"...give me something to shut her up!"_

The mechanical hand popped out of his hat and held a roll of tape in front of him. Gadget tore off a strip and placed it firmly over her mouth and then handed the tape back to the hand, which vanished quickly into his hat once more.

Alicia stared at him. But now she couldn't speak and he was relieved about it.

"Sorry about that." He said to her, "When we get back to my house I'll take it off you – _don't_ try and take it off yourself because I'll gag you again _and_ tie you up, have you got that?"

Alicia slowly nodded, looking fearfully at his hat as she wondered what else he kept in there.

The car turned the corner and now his house was in sight.

"Peace at last and we're almost home!" Said the Gadget mobile.

Gadget turned back to the road ahead and as he did so Alicia frowned, feeling surprised that a machine like Inspector Gadget could get so emotional over what she had said – it had been the briefest of movements, but as he had turned back to face the road he had raised his hand and brushed a tear from his eye... It hadn't even occurred to her that cyborgs _had_ feelings.

Then as it dawned on her that this half man, half machine actually possessed emotion it came as a shock and all she could feel now was the need to apologise - but all she could do was sit there with the tape on her mouth as the car slowed to a halt at last...

Gadget got out first and then he went around to the other side of the car and opened the door for her.

"Get out." He said sharply.

She tried to catch his eye but he wouldn't look at her.

He closed his hand around her wrist and led her towards the front door.

As he opened the door she gave him a look that she hoped conveyed some kind of apology but he either didn't notice it or he didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Get in the house." He said quietly.

He still wouldn't look her in the eye and as she stepped over the threshold she wondered what it was going to be like, living with a cyborg who was strangely capable of emotion – something she had always been taught these people did not possess. It made her wonder what else her father's teachings had been wrong about. Then Gadget followed her in and as he slammed the door shut she guessed he was _not_ in the mood to accept any kind of apology right now...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gadget led Alicia through to a comfortable front room and sat her down on the sofa.

"Stay there." He told her, then he left the room again.

Alicia looked around and felt surprised at how ordinary the place looked – it was homely, it was nothing like the cold environment she had imagined a cyborg to live in. It looked just like a regular house from the carpets to the TV and the furniture...

Then she noticed some pictures on the wall; Gadget on his wedding day embracing a woman with striking blue eyes. Her eyes were so bright they almost seemed unearthly. She noticed another picture, Gadget beside a young woman with long, light brown hair. She wondered, was she his daughter? No, Gadget didn't have any children. She guessed this must be Penny, his grown up niece. There was also a picture of Gadget holding a beagle in his arms and the dog was just about to lick his face; that had to be Brain...

Gadget came back into the room.

He had taken off his trench coat and hat and loosened the collar of his white shirt.

He sat down beside her and looked at her.

"I'm sorry I gagged you like that." He told her, "But you have to understand that I can't listen to the kind of garbage you came out with when we were in the Gadget mobile. It's ignorant and offensive and everything you said about me and my kind is _wrong_. I don't belong to a _cyborg__ race_. There's no such _thing_ as a cyborg race! _I__'__m __a__ human__ being_."

Then he carefully took hold of the tape and peeled it off her mouth.

She took in a breath and he held his hand up to silence her before she spoke again.

"No, shut up before you start again! _Listen __to__ me._ While you're in my house I won't tolerate the sick stuff you have to say about people like me! If you don't like me that's your opinion - but I don't need to hear about it."

"I don't understand how you can be so offended by the truth." She said.

Gadget looked back at her and gave a sigh; Alicia wasn't going to change her opinions overnight and he guessed maybe she never would – but he couldn't listen to her talking like that again, saying that he chose to become a cyborg.

He knew if he listened to much more of it he couldn't be sure just how he would react – or how his mechanical glitches might respond, either. _They__ were __always __so much harder__ to __control__ when __he __got__ himself __worked __up_ _and__ he__ hadn__'__t__ hurt__ anyone __with __it__ yet__ -__ but__ he __was__ sure__ there__ could __easily __be__ an__ exception__ to__ the __rule__ when __it__ came__ to __Alicia__ and__ the__ venom__ she__ spat __out__ of__ her __mouth__ every__ time__ she__ started__ to __speak..._

"I'm going to tell you _all_ about me and how I came to be a cyborg." He said quietly, "I don't even know where to begin when it comes to all this stuff you say about cyborgs being an evil race because you're wrong about that too – but I know you won't listen to me if I tell you that. But you _do_ need to know about me - _because you're wrong about me, Alicia._"

Then he paused and Alicia said nothing, she just looked back at him and he knew he had her attention at last.

As he thought about what he wanted to say he realised he was finding this harder than he first thought - because the subject of his life before he was Gadget – and of how he became Gadget - was painful and he rarely spoke of it to anyone.

He was aware of the silence in the room as she looked at him and he started to talk slowly and quietly, trying to spell out facts without letting painful memories flash before his eyes:

"I didn't choose to become a cyborg, Alicia. I was in an explosion. My injuries were so bad I should have died - but a scientist used her plans to build the first cyborg to try and save my life and she _did_ save my life. _I__'__m__ still__ here -__ I__ just__ have __a __different__ kind__ of __life__ now._ I didn't choose it and I wouldn't have wanted it – but it was the only way for me to survive. Suddenly I was this cyborg with special abilities because of my special body. I learned to love the changes I had to live with – even the glitches when things didn't work properly. I just accepted it because I had a new life and I knew I couldn't go back to my old one."

Alicia stared at him.

"How could you accept something like that?"

"I could have screamed and cried about it - and I _did_ a few times...but it didn't make any difference," He told her, "The man I used to be is gone because they took so much of my body away and replaced it. So now I'm Gadget. I got a new job and a new name – I'm Inspector Gadget, I'm a cop - I'm Riverton's finest crime fighter. That's what I hold on to and that's what I remember when I think about how much I've lost; I remind myself of what I still _have_."

_Alicia was looking at him differently now._

Gadget stared at her.

"What's the matter, what did I say that was so bad?" He wondered.

Alicia blinked and tears ran down her face.

"Oh Gadget, you poor man – this atrocity was _forced_ on you?"

He gave a sigh.

"No, it wasn't like that – I had no say in it because I was fighting for my life with terrible injuries at the time! My body was altered without my permission but it was better than dying! I'm still alive, that's what matters."

Then he said nothing more; all the pain he felt at dragging up the past had been replaced by surprise as Alicia threw her arms around him and hugged him.

He gently prised himself out of her grip and shifted over on the sofa leaving a space between them.

"I don't need your sympathy; I just wanted you to know why I'm half machine. And it's not such a bad thing – like I said, I've learned to like my gadgets."

"I wasn't offering you sympathy- I was offering you compassion."

Gadget had now come to the conclusion that Alicia would anger him no matter how she approached the subject of his robotic body.

"Will you stop that? I don't need sympathy or compassion! I'm just me, I'm Gadget and that's how I'll be forever - I've learned to accept it, I don't need or want _pity!_"

"I was only trying to offer my condolences for your loss."

Gadget glared at her. As he looked at Alicia Mackenzie he swore he could feel his human heart hammering harder in unison with his metal workings: _Everything__ she__ said__ made __him __angry..._

"Your _condolences?_ You said it like part of me was _dead!_ No one's spoken to me like that since my wife died!"

"I'm sorry you lost your wife. She must have loved you very much."

Alicia had said that so sincerely; Gadget felt his anger slipping away.

"She did." He replied, "We shared a unique relationship. She didn't mind that I was half machine, filled with gadgets full of glitches – she loved me. _I__ still__ miss __G2_."

"G- _what?_" Alicia repeated.

"_G2. She was an android."_

As he spoke he saw that look coming back into her eyes and he wondered, just for a split second, if she was going to make him so mad he would wind up losing control of his gadgets in the kind of way that could lead to a _nasty_ accident, something that he would have to explain later, when the Chief asked him why Alicia had got hurt or even _died_ whilst in his custody...

"She was a –"

"_Don__'__t.__"_ Gadget said darkly, "Don't even _think_ about saying it, not about my _wife_..."

Alicia blinked.

"_Why did you marry a machine? How can you fall in love with something that has no spark of human life about it at all –"_

Gadget got up.

"I said,_ shut__ up!__"_ He warned her.

She glared at him; the hostile look was back in her eyes now.

"She was'nt a real person." She stated, "She was just a robot. How could you _marry_ a robot? That's so ridiculous – it's like me deciding to marry my microwave oven or my tumble drier –"

"_Go__ go __Gadget__ arms.__"_ He said.

Alicia gave a shriek of alarm as his arms extended and grabbed her, pulling her from the sofa and dragging her towards him. As his hands snapped back where they belonged at his wrists she was lifted into his arms and he held her tightly, she kicked, she lashed out - but hitting Gadget was about as much use as punching a solid brick wall.

"_Let__ me__ go__ you__ freak!__"_ She screamed.

"Shut up." He said again, trying to stay calm.

Gadget held her tighter, remembering she was human and being aware that too much pressure could crack her bones or even suffocate her.

As he cautiously tightened his grip she stopped fighting him so desperately and she started to give little gasps of fear.

"I'm taking you upstairs now." He told her, "Because I've heard _enough!_"

Then he carried her out of the room and up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Gadget pushed open the door to the spare room – not Penny's old room - that would <em>always<em> be Penny's room whenever she wanted it – he went into the guest bedroom, then carried her over to the bed and dropped her onto it.

As she landed on the mattress she bounced and he heard her give a gasp of pain.

She struggled to sit up and he noticed she slid her hand around to her back and clutched at it as she turned.

His anger vanished in an instant as he realised she was in real pain.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked her as concern clouded his eyes.

As she leaned on the bed and straightened herself up she was still in pain – but still angry with Gadget.

"So what's next, you've carried me up the stairs – using _force_..."

Gadget went over to her and sat beside her.

She shot him a furious look.

"I'll bet I know what you've got in mind... I _know_ what comes next! I hate your kind so you're going to show me what your kind is capable of! I was right, you _are_ a monster!"

Gadget took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. It was getting a little bit easier because he was used to the garbage that came out of her mouth every time she spoke to him, he was getting used to it so fast he was sure he was quickly becoming immune to it all...

"I brought you up here because I thought you might need a rest on a comfortable bed."

"Sure you did." She said bitterly, tensing up as he unzipped her dress.

"You won't get away with this." She whispered, "You'll suffer for what you're about to do to me! I'll make sure _everyone_ finds out about it..."

"I'm just checking your bruises." Gadget replied, pulling one side of her dress away from her back as he looked at the bruising on her skin.

"I know you don't want to see a doctor but I think you _should_ get checked over – you looked to me like you were in a lot of pain just now."

_"Don't pretend you care about me."_

Gadget looked into her eyes.

"_Maybe I__ don__'__t care about you.__"_ He said, "But if you die in my custody I could lose my job _- _and after being Riverton's finest crime fighter for ten years I'm not going to let _that _happen!"

"I said I'm fine." She repeated, "Now get your hands _off_ me!"

Gadget put his hands on her shoulders and kept them there, looking deeply into her eyes and as he caught her gaze she looked away.

"Alicia," He said calmly, "You were _assaulted_. You're covered in bruises and you could be seriously hurt. I want to make sure you're okay. Alright, I admit it's _not_ just about me looking after my job. I'd feel bad if something happened to you while I was meant to be protecting you. I want you to have a rest now - there's a bathroom through that door on the other side of this room, you can go in there and get cleaned up and while you're doing that I'll make arrangements to get you checked over, just to make sure you're not hurt."

He was still looking at her.

Alicia avoided his gaze.

"Did you hear what I said?" He asked her.

She blinked away tears, wondering how he could be so damned kind after everything she had said to him. She thought about everything she had been taught to believe about cyborgs and it conflicted so greatly with the way Gadget was behaving that she felt nothing but confusion.

She drew on the only thing she had ever believed to be true about the nature of cyborgs and she finally met his gaze.

Anger burned in her eyes as she looked at him and her mind was clarified once more by what she had always believed to be the truth...

"_So__ what__'__s__ next?__"_ She said coldly.

Gadget looked at her in confusion. "I just told you -"

"No, I mean what are you _really_ going to do?" She demanded, "Come on, cyborg – I know _why_ you brought me up here! I know what's on your mind - you showed me how easily you could over power me when you brought me up here and threw me on the _bed!_ If that's what you want go ahead and do it, I bet you'd _love_ to take advantage of me because of who I am, because of what I stand for! _You__ can__ do__ what__ you__ like __to __me__ but__ I__'__ll__ still__ fight__ you__ all__ the__ way!_"

As she lunged at him he made a grab for her arms, purely to calm her down – but Alicia had made a grab at his shirt, ripping it open as he tried to restrain her.

She stared at the electronic panel that was set in the middle of his chest. The sight of it was so alien to her that she lost her aggression and just kept on staring at him.

Gadget let go of her and buttoned his shirt back up.

"Don't do that again." He said patiently, "Or I _will_ lose my temper with you."

Hostility burned in her eyes as she stood up and glared at him.

"That sounds more like it –now I'm seeing the true machine that you are! I know what to expect from you, Gadget – I know what you are and I _know_ what you're planning to do with me! That's the _real_ reason you're keeping me up here in this room!"

Gadget stared at her.

"No, I just told you why I'm keeping you up here – I'm trying to take care of you."

Alicia shook her head.

"Tell me that again after you've beat me worse than my own people did – _you__ won__'__t__ make__ me __change__ the__ way __I__ think __about__ your __kind__ even __after__ you__'__ve __forced__ yourself__ on__ me!_"

Gadget's eyes grew wider as he took in her words. Then tears blurred his vision and he quickly blinked them away, avoiding her gaze as he did it because the _last_ thing he wanted her to know was she had the power to hurt him with her choice of words.

Then he looked back at her and suddenly pain turned to anger.

"You really are _highly_ offensive." He said quietly, struggling to find the words to express how he felt at that moment, "You really know how to offend a person, how to..."

He stopped, feeling sure that if he said more about how she made him feel he would either get his words back to front or simply make a worse mess of it by admitting she had hurt him - and he didn't want to give her a weapon like that because he knew for sure he didn't have a gadget in existence that could shield him from _that_ kind of injury...

As she stood there glaring at him he pushed the hurt aside as the last of his patience wore thin and his anger took over.

"I took this job to _protect_ you!" He said sharply, "I brought you up here so you could get cleaned up and have some rest. I wouldn't force myself on you – I wouldn't do that to _anyone!_ I don't know what kind of scum you've been associating with for the thirty years you've been on this earth - but I'm a decent human being _and_ I'm a gentleman!"

Then Gadget's gaze hardened as he looked into her eyes.

"And you can think what you like about me being a machine but I can assure you I still have my humanity. _I__ lost __everything__ else __when__ that__ car__ blew__ up__ and__ they__ rebuilt __me__ but__ I__ did__ NOT __lose__ my__ humanity!__"_

Alicia's aggression slipped away as she heard the anger in his voice and saw the pain in his eyes.

"And don't think for one moment I'd force myself on you." He told her coldly, "You're the last person I'd _ever_ want to get close to!"

As he looked back at her and saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes he felt drained to the core by this woman, so drained he didn't know if he wanted to lash out or walk out of the room and cry.

"You're not convinced?" He demanded.

Alicia frowned, then took a step back as she shook her head.

"I don't know –"

Gadget grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest.

"Let me_ go!_" She demanded, but he tightened his grip as he pressed her palm against his chest.

"Can you feel that? Can you feel my human heart beating just like yours does?"

She looked slowly into his eyes.

"No." She stated, "I can't feel a thing."

Gadget felt her make an attempt to pull free of his grip but he kept hold of her hand.

"Well I can assure you it _is_ beating because my heart is _human!_ And as for thinking I'm about to force myself on you, I think we can clear that up once and for all. Can you feel my body, made of that metal you_ hate_ so much?"

She nodded, falling silent as he slid her hand down his chest; she could feel his solid robotic body through the fabric of his shirt.

Gadget spoke again.

"_I__'__m __part__ machine.__"_ He stated.

She looked back at him, unsure of what he was trying to convey.

Gadget slid her hand down to his waist and then let her go. To his surprise he had to push her away because curiosity was in her eyes now as she looked at him.

_"I'm part machine."_ He said again, "I couldn't force myself on anyone even if I _wanted_ to – I'm not built that way - like I said, I lost a lot of my body because of the explosion, do you understand what I mean?"

She looked at him with confusion, then the aggression was gone from her eyes.

"I...I _think_ I do..."

Gadget saw a look in her eyes that said she had got the message – and now she was looking at him with compassion all over again, but not in a way that angered him, more in a way that made him wish he could just forget this conversation had _ever_ taken place.

He mentally pushed away his emotions and focussed on his job once more because it was all he could think to do now.

He reached out and carefully brushed her hair away from her face and this time she did not shrink back from his touch.

"I want you to get cleaned up and have some rest and then I'm taking you to a doctor." He told her, "That cut above your eye has started bleeding again - I think it needs stitches."

He turned to leave the room.

"Gadget –"

He paused as he opened the door but didn't look back at her.

"_What?"_

Alicia wanted him to turn around, she wanted to say she was sorry – not for the statements she had made about her beliefs regarding cyborgs – but she certainly wanted to apologise for the way she had treated him. But even though she ached to say it, the words she needed to say just wouldn't come out.

"_What?__"_ Gadget demanded again without looking at her.

"I'll do that." She said quietly, "I'll have a bath and then get some sleep."

"Fine." He snapped, then he walked out of the room and shut the door behind him and locked it securely.

* * *

><p>As he walked away from the locked door, Gadget gave a heavy sigh as he wondered how long he could tolerate living with Alicia.<p>

But now the house was silent and he hoped he could get some rest while she cleaned herself up and then rested - he felt so worn out he just wanted to fall asleep after the way the two of them had clashed - it made him feel exhausted to even _think_ about a few more weeks of living with her until she testified at the trial...

Gadget went back down the stairs and headed for the kitchen where he grabbed some chocolate milk from the refrigerator and drank it straight from the bottle. On a day like this he almost wished he had something much stronger in the house – he didn't _like_ alcohol but after spending time with Alicia he felt just about ready to hit a bottle of _anything_.

Then the phone rang.

"What _now?_" He muttered, extending his arm across the room and grabbing the phone purely because he couldn't be bothered right now to walk over and pick it up.

As his arm slid back into place against his wrist he spoke sharply.

"_Gadget here. This had better be important!"_

"Uncle Gadget? Are you okay, you sound really worked up about something?"

Gadget dropped his harsh tone at once.

"Penny!" He said in surprise, "Sorry honey I've had a busy day..."

"Are you working on a case?"

"No!" He said quickly, "What makes you say that?"

"I just wondered." Penny replied, "Anyway – I was thinking about maybe coming over tomorrow –"

"No, Penny - I'll be out. I've got important stuff to do, you know, _the usual_..."

"But what do you _do_ these days?" She asked him, "We both know there's no crime in Riverton. All you do is drive around in Gadget mobile..."

He gave a sigh.

"I'll come over to you at the weekend and pick up Brain. How is Brain by the way?"

"He's fine, Uncle Gadget. Are you _sure_ everything's okay? Because you sound _really_ worked up."

Gadget hated lying to her but even though he felt reasonably confident that Alicia was safe in Riverton, he still didn't want Penny getting involved with any of this – not just because there were people out there who wanted to kill Alicia - he didn't want Penny to meet her, because he knew she wouldn't like what she had to say and he didn't want Penny upset or angered or offended by her...

"Nothing's wrong." He promised her, feeling sure she didn't believe him because she _always_ seemed to know when he tried to hide something from her...

* * *

><p>Gadget mobile was having a nap, gently snoozing in the sunshine and as a footstep came closer the car snapped awake.<p>

"Hi there!" Said the talking car, "And who might you be looking for? Inspector Gadget?"

The woman smiled.

"Hello to you, sentient vehicle." She said warmly, "Yes I am looking for the Inspector – is he around?"

"He's in the house." Said Gadget mobile, "You'd better go around the back and knock – but he _was_ kind of busy with police work. You could always open up my door and sit down and wait if you get no reply, you're more than welcome...what _is_ your name?"

She laughed.

"I might just do that, Gadget mobile. My name is Dr. Lula Smith and I'm very keen to speak to the Inspector."

"How did you know my name?" The car wondered.

"I know a lot of things." She replied, "Now I'm going to knock and see if he's got time to speak to me."

"See you later." Said the car, and as she walked away Gadget mobile bounced on all four wheels as she headed around the back of the house in a tight dress and high heeled shoes.

"If he _doesn't_ let you in, he's _crazy!_" The car remarked.

* * *

><p>Gadget was still talking on the phone.<p>

As he heard a tap on the open kitchen door he stretched his metallic neck a little higher and twisted his head around.

Then he stared at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hi." She said, "You must be Inspector Gadget. I've heard a lot about you."

"Just a second..." Gadget said to her, then he twisted his neck around again and it slid back into place as he spoke down the phone again.

"Penny I'm sorry I have to go – I have a visitor."

Gadget ended the call, then slid his arm across the room and put the phone back in its cradle, he kept his arm extended as he offered her a handshake.

"Yes, I'm Gadget. And you are?"

"Lula Smith."

He briefly shook her hand, then let go and retracted his arm again.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Smith –"

"Call me Lula."

"Lula, it's_ really_ nice to meet you but it's an inconvenient time, I'm busy right now..."

As he tried to make an excuse to avoid a discussion, his gaze lingered on her: she was pretty with long golden hair that fell to her shoulders and her slender body was wrapped in a tight dress that clung to an hour glass figure as she walked towards him. He had no idea that he would have found Lula so attractive and he felt taken by surprise. He was glad he wasn't wearing his hat because she prompted the kind of reaction that was likely to send a fire work exploding out of it - a _big_ one, too – and that would be a fire hazard because his hat was hanging up in the hallway along with his trench coat...

"What are you doing here?" He wondered, "The Chief said he wanted me to call you but I'm working on a case right now and –"

"I know he wanted you to call me - I guessed you might be busy so I looked up your address. I hope you don't mind."

She smiled at him.

He smiled back at her.

"No, I don't mind but I really _am_ too busy for this right now, I know what this is about and we need to have that discussion another time. I'll give you my card with all my numbers on, you can call me later – maybe in a couple of months when I have more time-"

He suddenly couldn't remember if he kept his cards in his hat or in his wrist.

"Go go Gadget –"

A small parasol popped out into his hand.

He gave a sigh of annoyance.

"Sorry..."

It slid back out of sight, then a card shot into his hand.

He gave it to her.

"That's got all my contact numbers on it. I'm really sorry about this but it's just not a good time right now..."

She took his card and looked back at him.

"Sure, I'll call you. Please try and make the time to speak with me. _I__ can__ help__ you_."

Gadget tensed up on hearing those words.

"I don't need any help, Lula, I'm just fine as I am. I've got used to my glitches; I've had them so long they're a part of me now."

"I just meant I can help you if there's anything you might want to change or improve. You don't _have_ to see me – it's up to _you_, if you think I can do something for you just let me know, okay?"

Gadget looked at her in surprise. No one had ever talked about his mechanical body and said that before - _that __it__ was__ up__ to __him,__ that__ he __had __a __choice..._

"I might do that." He told her.

"_GADGET!"_

Lula stared at him in alarm as a voice called him again from upstairs and then someone started to bang hard on a closed door.

"_Gadget!__"_ Alicia yelled again, _"__Let__ me__ out!__"_

She hammered on the door again.

He saw the look in Lula's eyes and quickly tried to explain.

"_Its __okay__ – __I__'__m__ keeping__ a__ woman__ upstairs... I__ locked__ her__ in__ the__ bedroom__ so__ she __couldn__'__t__ get __away...__"_

Lula's eyes grew even wider.

"_Why?__"_ She said in horror.

"She's ACR – Annihilation of Clawborgs - I mean, _cyborgs_...you know..._ACR_, she's Mackenzie's daughter, I'm guarding her until she testifies in court."

_Now_ Lula understood and she gave a sigh of relief.

"Alicia Mackenzie?"

Gadget nodded.

"She's a difficult person but I can handle her."

"_Gadget!__"_ Alicia called out again, "_Please_ open this door..._help__ me_ you metal _freak!_"

Then she gave a gasp.

"_Gadget, help me... I'm bleeding!"_

A split second later there was a thump that sounded like a heavy fall onto floorboards – followed by nothing but silence.

"Out of my way." Gadget said, pushing past Lula and racing up the stairs.

* * *

><p>By the time Lula hurried after him she reached the top of the stairs slightly breathless and ran into the bedroom. Gadget was not out of breath at all, he wasn't even breaking into a sweat despite the fact that he had forced the door open and left the lock broken and the wood splintered - such an effort was nothing to a cyborg.<p>

He was kneeling beside Alicia, who was unconscious on the floor wrapped in a bathrobe. As he turned her head blood ran from the corner of her mouth.

"I knew there was something wrong with her." He said, "I was planning to arrange for her to see a doctor after she got some rest."

Lula knelt down on the floor beside him.

"Let me take a look at her."

"But I thought you only fix cyborgs?"

"_And_ non cyborg patients too." She told him.

Gadget loosened Alicia's bathrobe and pulled it back a little, exposing livid bruises.

"She was assaulted before she was brought into custody. She took quite a beating."

Lula carefully ran her hand over her injuries, as she pulled her bathrobe aside she felt below Alicia's ribs.

"She needs to get to a hospital." Lula told him as she covered her up again, "She's got some internal bleeding, it's not a major problem right now but it will be in a few hours if she doesn't get it fixed."

Gadget got up and lifted Alicia into his arms.

"I'll take her in Gadget mobile," He said, "It's the quickest way – I don't want to waste any time."

As he held her tighter Alicia gave a whimper and he put his hand on her upper chest, feeling a flicker of concern as her heart raced and her breathing came in shallow bursts.

_"It's alright, Alicia."_ He said quietly, thinking how he had almost forgotten until now just how fragile human bodies could be, _"I'll make sure you're okay."_

Then he carried her out of the house and Lula followed, feeling surprised that Gadget wasn't quite the clumsy, glitch-ridden cyborg she had assumed him to be – from the moment he had found Alicia on the floor, he had taken over and showed a very different side - calm, in control, professional... it made her wonder which side of him was the _real_ Gadget... But Lula said nothing as she sat in the front and Gadget sat in the back, holding Alicia in his arms as the Gadget mobile fired up the engine and tore off at rocket powered speed.

* * *

><p>Much later, while the afternoon sun began to sink in the sky and Gadget waited for Alicia to come out of surgery, he sat alone in the corridor and wished he had brought his hat and his trench coat with him – but he had been in too much of a rush to get Alicia to the hospital and it was only now, several hours later, that he was wishing he was wearing everything that made him feel like Gadget the Inspector because he hated places like this; clinical environments reminded him of the day he woke up with what seemed like an alien body and he didn't want to think about it <em>ever<em> again.

_But he didn't want to leave Alicia Mackenzie all alone, either. _

It would have been easy to walk out the door and go home and wait for the hospital to call him - but she was all alone in the world now; she had no friends, no family, right now she had nothing - and he wouldn't leave _anyone_ to wake up in hospital probably in pain and with no one to comfort them...

He had almost walked out right after Alicia had been admitted- when Lula had told him the cybernetics lab was attached to the new part of the building, then said that he could come along to her office right now if he wanted to – he hadn't meant to snap at her as he told her his concern was with the woman in his custody, but he was sure it had sounded that way when he told her to leave him alone to get on with his job...

"_Gadget?"_

He gave a sigh as he heard her say his name - he had hoped to have seen the last of her, but she was back again... Lula had sat down beside him.

"I'm still waiting for news on Alicia." He told her, "I hope she's okay."

Lula felt surprised at that remark.

"But she called you a freak."

"She called me a _metal_ freak." Gadget told her, "_And_ she called me a monster, she said I was evil just like the rest of my kind! But it's not her fault, she's been brought up to believe everything her father told her to believe in."

Lula looked at him doubtfully.

"I could understand that if she was a kid – but she's a woman of thirty, she's got a mind of her own."

"She's been conditioned for the whole of her life." Gadget replied, "She's not to blame for that."

Lula smiled fondly as she looked at him.

"If you believe that you're far more tolerant than I could ever be." She admitted, "I'd expect her to have her own conscience or at least be able to answer for her lack of it. But I am _very_ committed to cybernetics and I have a _great_ deal of respect for people who live with electronic and robotic alterations – I think people like the ACR are disgusting. It's hard for me to sympathise with anything that woman's been through – but it's _very_ easy for me to understand how _you_ feel."

Lula put her hand gently on Gadget's arm.

"Why don't you come over to my office before you go home, I'd really like to talk to you about some technological advances you might be interested in. I know you probably don't want to think about that right now but you really haven't looked into the possibilities. I've read your medical file; I know science was'nt too advanced when you became the prototype but things have moved a _very _long way since then – "

Gadget's eyes narrowed as he looked at her.

"I don't recall giving _you_ permission to read my files!"

He felt a certain amount of satisfaction as he saw the apologetic look in her eyes; as he realised she was about to back off it came as a great relief.

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to help."

Gadget looked away as he felt slightly guilty for snapping at her because Lula had sounded very sorry and she had meant it, too

"And I told you I'd come and see you if I _wanted_ your help."

"I didn't mean to make you feel pressured; _I just wanted to let you know that you have choices now that didn't exist ten years ago_."

Gadget looked at her, wondering exactly what she meant by that.

"Well you've read my files, you know _all_ about the way I'm put together – I don't really want to discuss that any further, not while I'm working. I told you before, my concern is with Alicia. She's in my custody and I want to make sure she's okay. This isn't the time or place to do this, Lula."

"I guess not."

Lula got up.

"You could have a much lighter body that would feel more like your old one. _And once your structure has been infused with the new living metal anything's possible_."

Gadget looked at her intently as he wondered what she meant by that.

"_Anything?"_

"Well obviously such a major upgrade isn't without risk because you're a prototype and it's a _lot_ of work to undergo – but once you've had the upgrade you can have the new synthetic skin – it fits seamlessly with living metal, within twenty four hours it even has its own veins and arteries just like real flesh– _and_ it has nerve endings too."

Gadget got up from his seat and stared at her.

"You can do that?"

"Once you've had the upgrade adding synthetic flesh is a very simple procedure and very safe too – it's got a rejection rate of zero. And it can also be used for cosmetic _and_ reconstructive surgery."

And she looked at him, waiting for his response.

"You're right." Gadget said quietly "I never knew any of that. Thanks for telling me, I'll think it over. But I'm way too busy to think about anything definite right now – not while I'm working on this case."

"I'll call you." Lula said.

"Excuse me, Inspector?"

As the nurse addressed him Gadget turned away from Lula.

"How's Alicia Mackenzie?" He asked her.

"She came through the surgery just fine. She's resting now."

"Can I see her?"

"You can sit with her, she should be awake soon." The nurse told him.

Gadget glanced back at Lula.

"I have to go." He said, then he turned and walked away, now thinking only of the woman in his custody.

* * *

><p>Gadget sat by Alicia's bed and watched her sleeping.<p>

In the harsh artificial light he could see every bruise on her face and as he thought about how close she had come to dying he felt nothing but relief that she was going to be okay – on the way to her room the nurse had told him the bleeding had been easy to repair and with a few days rest Alicia would be out of hospital.

Gadget took hold of her hand and spoke quietly to her as she slept.

"I don't know if you really believe all that stuff you come out with about people like me." He said quietly, "But I'm going to try and show you what the truth is. I'm not sure why I'm doing this – I could walk out of here and call the Chief and tell him I can't deal with you and then someone else can put up your hatred – _but I won't do that, I don't want to give up on you_."

As she heard his voice, Alicia opened her eyes and blinked as a blurry world came back into focus.

She saw Gadget sitting beside her and then she felt him gently squeeze her hand.

He swept her hair off her face and looked into her eyes.

"You had some internal bleeding." He told her, "But you're going to be just fine. You'll be out of here in a few days."

"Thanks for helping me." She said weakly, _"And I'm sorry for..."_

She couldn't speak as she sobbed and the words caught in her throat, then she took in a breath and blinked away tears.

"I know," Gadget said softly, "I think we should let that go now. I think maybe when you're out of here we should start again, how does that sound to you?"

Alicia nodded and closed her eyes again.

"Thanks, Gadget..." She murmured as she slipped back into a drugged sleep.

As she let go of his hand Gadget stood over her for a moment and watched as she breathed easily, feeling relieved to know she was out of pain and out of danger. Then he glanced down at his wrist and as the mechanics that held his arm closed popped open, he silently drew out a small bouquet of flowers and then placed them in the vase beside her bed.

"I'll come and see you tomorrow." He said softly.

As he walked away and left her to sleep he breathed a sigh of relief to be finally getting out of this place - _because every time he stepped into any kind of clinical environment he couldn't shrug off the memories of the day the explosion changed his life forever. _ But once he was outside and he took in the fresh air memories of the past left him quickly and then he headed towards the parking lot, where Gadget mobile was waiting to take him home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gadget woke up late the next morning, but even after a long sleep he still felt exhausted from the events of the day before. It wasn't a physical exhaustion – it was the kind he couldn't get over by grabbing extra sleep; he still felt emotionally drained from his first encounter with Alicia. She had stayed on his mind and he couldn't forget her, he wasn't sure if it was because he had never met anyone so hostile or simply because she fascinated him. He wasn't sure _why_ he was so interested in her, but she was still on his mind even after he called the hospital to check she was okay.

Alicia was _still_ on his mind as he reached for his hat and his trench coat, planning to spend the day driving around in the Gadget mobile – _just so Riverton was reminded there was still a crime fighter in town..._

At least, that _was_ his plan.

But just as he was reaching for his coat and hat, he heard a key slide into the lock.

The front door opened and Brain came dashing down the hallway, he barked and wagged his tail as he jumped up and Gadget picked him up and looked at him as the dog wagged his tail and happiness shone from his eyes.

"Hi Brain." He said, "I guess you had fun at Penny's house...go on then, you know where the garden is!"

And he set him back down on the floor, watching as the dog dashed through the kitchen and out into the garden, then it occurred to Gadget that even when Brain wasn't here, he still forgot and left the door open for him _anyway_ because he was so used to doing that...

"_Hi Uncle Gadget."_

His eyes lit up as Penny stepped through the open doorway.

She wasn't a child any more, she had grown up a _long _time ago – but he still thought of her as that same little girl who he had raised.

The tall, athletic young woman with sparkling eyes and long, light brown hair walked up to him and hugged him tightly; she kept on hugging him for a few seconds.

"I've been so worried!" She exclaimed as she let him go, "What was the matter yesterday, you sounded upset?"

Gadget looked into her eyes and suddenly, with Alicia away from the house for a few days, the truth seemed a little easier to explain.

But then he thought about the fact that Penny had only recently found out she was pregnant with her first child – and he felt so concerned about her, probably a little _too_ much because he was still protective towards her – but it was still a difficult decision, to tell her the truth - or _not..._

But it was too late; Penny was looking in his eyes, reading the expression on his face.

She frowned.

"I _knew _it! There _is_ something wrong! Talk to me, I want to know why you're so serious."

Gadget gave a sigh.

"It's just work."

"And?"

"Work, that's all."

"_And?"_

She wouldn't give up – she never had; she always managed to find out when something was going on – usually when he was involved in a case, _always _ when there was a possibility of danger. He hated lying to her because he loved her so much – _but__ she__ was __too__ smart __to__ be__ fooled__ by __lies__ anyway..._

"Chief Quimby gave me a job to do and it was difficult. He asked me to take care of a woman called Alicia Mackenzie, she's going to testify against ACR leaders and I'm protecting her until she's given her evidence."

Penny's eyes grew wider as she looked back at him and felt nothing but concern.

"I've heard of her, I've read about her in news reports. _I __know__ all__ about__ the__ ACR!_"

Gadget suddenly wished he had kept his mouth shut about the case; now all she would do was worry and this was what he had wanted to avoid.

"I wish you wouldn't keep yourself so informed about these things."

"I have to, Uncle Gadget - I'm a journalist and I write about _politics!_"

He looked at her apologetically.

"I didn't want to keep it from you, I just didn't want you to worry – and there's no reason for you to get involved in this because all I'm doing is looking after the woman. _Not__ that __I__'__ve__ made __a__ good__ job __of __it__ so __far._"

He walked through to the front room and she went with him, then he sat down on the sofa and she sat beside him.

As Gadget fell silent, Penny looked at him with the same concerned expression in her eyes as she took hold of his hand.

"Uncle Gadget, I'm worried about you. _I__ don__'__t__ think __you__'__re__ the__ right__ person__ to__ be__ taking__ on__ someone __like __Alicia__ Mackenzie_."

"Why not? I'm Riverton's greatest crime fighter- I'm used to fighting evil."

As she heard him say those words she smiled, recalling how she had looked up to her brave Uncle Gadget who had battled Doctor Claw so long ago.

"I know you're the great Inspector Gadget," She said fondly, "But Alicia Mackenzie and people like her are a _different_ kind of evil. I don't even want to _think_ about what she might have said to you!"

"She said some hurtful things." He admitted, "But I think we've got over that problem now, she knows I'm not some sort of evil machine, I helped to save her life yesterday."

"What happened?" Penny asked him.

"She took a beating before she went into police custody – a beating from her own people. She said she was okay but she collapsed and I took her to the hospital. She's had surgery for internal bleeding. As soon as she gets out of there she's coming back with me and we're going to try and get along better this time."

Penny heard optimism in his voice.

"Who said that, you or her?"

"Well it was me - but she seemed to be okay with that."

Penny gave a sigh.

"I don't like the idea of that woman living here with you; I know what she believes in. I heard about the reprocessing plants, too. Her father wanted to _kill_ people like you, Uncle Gadget!"

"That's one of the reasons I was given this case." He told her, "I have to find out what she really knows. But I'm starting to wonder if she knows anything at all – I don't think her father would have involved her in his plans, she talks like she's quoting him but I don't think she's as bad as she seems."

Penny shifted closer and gave him a hug.

"You always try and see the good in people."

As he put his arm around her and they enjoyed a moment of closeness he was instantly reminded of the way she used to curl up next to him on the sofa when she was a little girl.

He smiled at her.

"Thanks, Penny – I always try to remember most people have some good in them."

Penny looked at him sadly.

"_But I think you're wrong about Alicia Mackenzie."_

"Or maybe I'm _right_."

Gadget took his arm off her shoulder and straightened up.

"You don't have to worry about me, if it doesn't work out I'll take her back to the Police Department and leave her there, okay?"

Penny laughed.

"I like the sound of that!"

Then Brain barked, and Gadget got up to see what he was barking at.

* * *

><p>Brain was digging harder, his paws moving like a blur as he barked again, wagged his tail and reached into the hole beneath a tree at the bottom of the garden.<p>

"He never forgets where he's buried a bone, no matter how long he's left it there." Gadget said.

Penny looked thoughtfully at him; he _still_ had a look in his eyes that made her think he had something on his mind...

"So that's _all_ you're thinking about, dealing with Alicia?"

"Sure." Gadget quickly looked back and watched Brain digging, not wanting her to see the look in his eyes because he hated hiding anything from her – _but __he __didn__'__t__ even__ know__ where __to __begin__ to __explain__ when __it__ came__ to__ what__ Lula __had __told__ him__ about..._

"Uncle Gadget?"

"What?"

He blinked.

She wasn't beside him any more; Penny was standing in front of him and looking at him like she could see right through him.

"What _else?_" She said wearily, "I _know_ there's something else because I can see it in your eyes."

"I can't talk to _you_ about it." He admitted, "It's not something you need to know, it's about _me_."

Penny stared at him.

"_Excuse __me?_ What do you mean you can't talk to _me_, since when could you not talk to _me_ about anything?"

Gadget wished he could take those words back now – but he couldn't take them back and she looked and sounded hurt, so he just told her the truth instead.

"I've been put in touch with a cybernetic surgeon. She's offered me an upgrade – _I__'__m __thinking __about__ it_."

Penny just wondered what the fuss was about.

"That sounds good to me. Maybe she can fix your glitches."

"Maybe." He replied.

He watched as Brain looked into the hole and took out an old bone and started to gnaw on it; then Gadget thought about the old bones he preferred to keep buried where they belonged - back in the past, going back to a time Penny knew little about.

_He wanted to keep it that way._

"I'm not sure yet." He told her, "It's major work to change the density of my metal. And I'm thinking about some cosmetic work afterwards too but... I don't know, it's not something I can really talk to you about, honey. "

Penny looked at him and thought about the days when she was younger when she looked at her half-robot uncle Gadget and thought of him as a brave, crime fighting knight in shining armour.

Then her eyes lit up as she shared what she knew.

"I've heard about the new living metal, it's a very exciting advance in technology. I don't think it would fix your glitches - but it would make you feel a lot lighter and your gadgets would work a lot faster too."

"How do you know that?" He wondered.

"I was checking out the latest developments because Max is thinking about having some more work done."

Gadget thought about Penny's husband and wondered why he wanted to have any more alterations - _because__ that__ scanner __he__ had__ in __his__ eye__ had__ caused __him__ a __lot__ of__ pain__ at__ the__ time __it__ was __implanted..._

"What sort of work?" He asked her.

"I don't know yet." Penny said quickly; now it was her turn to avoid a subject - because although her Uncle didn't know it, she was responsible for persuading her husband to have the implant in his eye - she wanted him to have more work done too, because she _really _liked the idea of a man with some metal in his flesh – although she couldn't tell her Uncle that she had a thing for cyborgs, because it was _her_ secret...

Gadget looked at his niece and suddenly wished she had a solution to his problem.

"I don't know what to do." He said honestly, "It's a lot of change for me and I think I'll be happy with the end result - but it's a lot to face, I'm not sure I want to go through with it."

"You're already part robot, what's the big deal?" Penny said to him, "I think you should go for it – I want you to be _happy,_ Uncle Gadget!"

"I know you do, Penny." He replied, feeling sure she wouldn't be talking like that if she knew the procedure came with risk – but she had no way of knowing how much he wanted to do it, or why he wanted the cosmetic work afterwards - it was something she had _never_ needed to know about and he wasn't going to change that now or ever; he had always been her Uncle Gadget, a man with an amazing cyborg body that made him a great crime fighter – and that was _all _she needed to know...

He gave her a hug and as she let go of him she thought she saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes, but it was only there for a second and then it was gone.

And then he called to Brain, who lifted the bone into his jaws and raced across the lawn.

Then while Brain sat in the kitchen in his basket gnawing on his bone, Gadget and Penny sat down together and shared some family time, talking about happy times and family life, leaving the subjects of Alicia and his possible upgrade alone – which was fine by Gadget, because for the rest of the time Penny was visiting he was able to forget everything that was heavy on his mind.

* * *

><p>Much later, after visiting Alicia and finding her sleeping soundly, Gadget had decided to leave her to rest and then he went home again.<p>

By now it was getting late and while Brain was curled up in his basket, Gadget decided to watch the disk that Max had given him. He had almost forgotten about it because of Alicia collapsing but now he was alone he decided to use the time to see the evidence for himself.

At first, as he watched the image appear on the screen of the old abattoir and _Evans,__ Max_ and his agent ID appeared in the corner of the screen, he thought he was looking at nothing more than footage of an old building.

_Then the lights came on._

Max sounded shaken up as he started to speak.

"This is it; this is the machine that proves Mackenzie's _real _intentions..."

Gadget stared at the machinery that filled one side of the room as Max continued to speak:

"There's a device on the wall as I come through the doorway – it's wired to a powerful electrical source capable of delivering a shock that's enough to stun a human being into unconsciousness – when I say human being I mean a person who is up to ninety-nine percent cyborg. One shot from this bolt gun is enough to stun for maybe a minute or two – enough time to put the prisoner on the conveyor belt, fasten down restraints and then the person would be passed through the machine..."

Max switched his vision to scanning mode as Gadget stared at the image on the screen:

"There is a gap in the machinery where a person would go through," Penny's husband said, "And there's a powerful separation device that detects metal and removes it... there are two chambers in here..."

He paused, taking in a breath as he tried to keep control while he explained the evidence: _"Two_ _chambers,__ one __leads __to__ the__ recycling__ area__ – __the__ other __is __for__ remaining__ tissue__ – __human__ tissue... there__'__s__ a__ substance__ in__ a__ room__ beyond__ here__ that__ contains __some__ kind__ of__ acid... __pipe__work __leads __down__ to__ the__ sewerage__ system...__ "_

He paused and then his voice trembled as he spoke again.

"There are machines like this in every one of Mackenzie's plants... he had lucrative contracts lined up with legitimate companies who wanted to buy recycled material... they wouldn't have known about the people who died..._the __whole__ mechanics__ of__ this __process__ are__ designed__ to __wipe__ out__ cyborg__ life._"

Gadget heard Penny's husband take in a sharp breath as he tried to fight against the emotion that choked up his voice as he briefly glanced to a colleague and then looked away again: _"__Take__ over, __I__ have__ to__ get __out__ of__ here__ right__ now__ -__ I__ think __I__ need__ to__ throw__ up.__"_

The screen went blank for a split second, then there was a message from Max:

"Gadget, I hope you're okay after seeing that. I did warn you it was horrific. One of the first slaughter houses Mackenzie purchased and rebuilt was precisely sixteen miles outside of Riverton – go and check it out, you might find something my people missed. Here's the map."

As the map flashed up on the screen Gadget studied it. Then the screen went blank and the message ended.

He sat alone in the silence, looking at the screen that had now turned dark as he thought about everything he had seen.

Then something soft landed in his lap and if he had enough human skin he was sure he would have jumped out of it, but it was just Brain sensing his mood and trying to offer him comfort.

He stroked the dog's soft fur and gave a sigh.

"I thought Claw was the worst of the bad guys." He murmured, "I guess Penny's right – there _are_ different kinds of evil..."

Then he thought about Mackenzie's daughter and made a decision: _As__ soon__ as__ Alicia__ was __out__ of__ the__ hospital__ he __would__ go __up __to__ her__ father__'__s__ reprocessing__ plant__ – __and__ he__ was __taking __her__ with__ him, __because__ after__ seeing__ the __evidence__ for__ himself__ he__ needed__ to __find__ out__ for__ sure __if__ she__ really__ knew__ nothing__ – __or __if__ she__ was __as__ guilty __as__ her__ father..._

* * *

><p>Next morning, he looked in on Alicia.<p>

She was much better and even smiled when she saw him. Then she thanked him for the flowers.

"I remember what you said." She told him, "And you're right – we _do_ need to start again. You're not like I expected you to be – you're _not_ an evil cyborg."

Gadget smiled as Alicia looked at him.

"You're not evil - because you're _different_ to the rest of your kind." She added, then Gadget's smile faded.

He left Alicia's room feeling that he had made _some_ progress – even if she thought he was the _only_ decent human being on the planet who was half robotic...

Then Gadget took a deep breath and headed towards the cybernetics building, where he had made an appointment to see Lula.

Even as he walked up to her door he wasn't sure if he was going to knock; he had called and left a message late the previous night to say he was going to stop by and he wasn't even sure what had made him do it – maybe it was because he _wanted_ the upgrade – or maybe it was some kind of reaction to seeing the reprocessing plant, maybe _that_ had made him more determined to embrace his artificial side... but either way he was still so nervous he felt like throwing up and his hand shook as he knocked on her door.

"Come in." She called out.

Gadget opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him and walking over to the desk where she was seated.

"I left you a message." He said.

"I know, it's good to see you." She told him, "Sit down, Gadget."

He pulled out a chair and sat down and looked at her across the desk.

She looked back at him, waiting for him to speak but he just sat there feeling awkward and it showed, so she helped him out by speaking first.

"Have you thought about what I told you?"

Gadget nodded.

"I still haven't made my mind up- it's a lot to go through – but the Chief's going on at me to fix my glitches and I need to keep my job – and I'm thinking when it's all done I could have the reconstructive work you mentioned, those are my main reasons for doing it - _if_ I decide to go ahead."

"So what would you like me to help you with today?" She asked him, "Do you have any questions, because it sounds like you want to know a little bit more?"

Gadget looked down at the floor and felt uncomfortable.

"I didn't mind in the old days when I used to go over to the lab and have a couple of scientists poke about and fix mechanical parts, that wasn't so bad. But this is _different_... This is like me being back on the operating table after the explosion and having pieces of me altered forever..."

Lula lowered her voice as she spoke again recalling she had read somewhere in Gadget's file that reminders of the traumas of the past were enough to trigger off post traumatic stress – Gadget got _very_ nervous when it came to any kind of major work being done to his robotic body - and he was even more frightened when it came to the possibility of surgical treatment.

"The upgrade doesn't involve taking out any of your components – only injecting your mechanical body with living metal. It will spread through out your body and alter the density of your existing cyborg parts. Then I can add the synthetic skin and it will attach immediately because of the living metal beneath it."

Gadget had listened carefully.

"So this new skin, will it cover all of me?"

"No." She told him, you'll have exposed metal at the points where you need to extend your body or use your gadgets. But when they're not in use the metal will fit against the skin as if it's a part of it. The metal will even have the ability to _feel__ -_ just like your new skin will."

_"Really?"_

He suddenly had so much hope in his voice and seeing him look so happy made Lula smile.

"Of course it will! You'll still be Gadget but you'll feel so much more human again. And no one else who sees you would notice anything different about you unless you chose to tell them."

Then his smile faded as he thought about the downside to this.

"You said there was a risk."

"There _is_ a risk," She admitted, "Purely because you're a prototype. Your parts are basic compared to modern technology and because your human organs are dependant on the cyborg connections inside you, it doesn't make it a straightforward procedure. Being injected with living metal would be terribly painful –and so would having the new grade of synthetic skin because as it attaches to the body the nerves start to grow and you wouldn't be able to experience that while you were awake. So we would have to put you under deep anaesthesia for at least twelve hours. _ That's_ where the risk comes into it because there's a very small chance that you could react badly to this and we might not be able to revive you. Also I'm aware that you went into cardiac arrest during the first transformation procedure."

"I was critically injured at the time." He pointed out, "That was right after my car blew up."

"I know that, but I still want you to think about the risk before you decide to do this. It's a worthwhile procedure that will give you a better quality of life, Gadget. But there _is_ a risk and you need to weigh that up."

He gave a sigh; it wasn't an easy decision to make even though he knew he wanted to do it – he didn't want to think about the risk, he just wanted to be optimistic about this...

"Can I have the reconstructive work done at the same time?" He wondered.

"No." She replied, "That's a very lengthy procedure, it's about eight hours of surgery. I couldn't put you through that on top of twelve hours for the upgrade- that would be far too dangerous. Once you've had the upgrade, assuming all goes well, you'll recover rapidly – you'll be recovered within forty eight hours."

Gadget looked at her in surprise.

"Really, as fast as that?"

The smile was back on his face as he thought about the future and the kind of life he could have when the treatment was over.

He suddenly had more questions, but as he thought about what he wanted to say he felt awkward again.

"So if I have this upgrade I could have the reconstruction?"

"Yes, you could have it very quickly, you'll need to give yourself a few days to get over the upgrade but then you could come back and have the reconstructive work carried out."

"And what's the risk with that procedure?"

"None." She replied, "Once you've had the upgrade the anaesthesia will carry no risk and as I said there's a zero chance of tissue rejection so it's very straightforward."

"And this..." He paused, choosing his words carefully, but even though he did that he still felt his face heating up as he felt awkward talking about something so intimate.

"This...um...reconstruction, does it mean I can do all the things I used to do? I mean _everything_."

"I had no idea Riverton's greatest crime fighter could be so shy!" She exclaimed, "Yes Gadget. Everything will look and feel normal and you'll be able to do all the things you could do before. In other words, you'll be able to have a full physical relationship again."

"And how long will it take to recover from the operation?"

"Its synthetic tissue to living metal – it's _very_ rapid healing. Once the surgery's over you'll be out of here in two, maybe three hours."

"Wowzer!" Gadget exclaimed, "A few _hours,_ are you sure?"

Lula smiled.

"Yes, I'm sure." She promised him, "For the first hour you might feel like you've been kicked in the worst possible place a guy could get kicked, but there's always pain relief. And within the next couple of hours you'll be fully healed and ready to go home."

By now Gadget had cast aside all his doubts that had had worried him when she mentioned the word _risk_; his mind was made up now.

"_I__'__ll__ do__ it.__"_ He told her, _"__I__'__ll__ have__ the__ upgrade__ as__ soon__ as __possible__ and__ then__ I__'__ll__ have__ the __reconstruction.__"_

"You're sure about the reconstruction?"

"You bet I am!" He said enthusiastically.

Lula returned his smile and then paused.

"You _do_ understand you have to have the upgrade first and it carries a risk?"

"We already talked about that."

"Do you want to talk that over with your family?" She suggested, "I'm not trying to put you off doing it, Gadget – but there _is_ a risk involved and I want to be sure that you've thought it through."

Gadget thought about it briefly – who _could_ he talk to about this – _Gadget__ mobile? __Chief__ Quimby? __Penny_? No, he knew he wasn't going to discuss any of this with anyone –_ especially_ not Penny, because she would hear the word _risk_ and do everything in her power to try and make him change his mind...

"No, I don't need to talk to anyone about this – I know what I want to do." He told her.

Lula looked at Gadget and hoped he wouldn't be offended by what she was about to say next.

"If you're sure you want the reconstruction I'll have to insert a chip in your brain to enable you to switch your gadget mode on and off." She told him, "I can do that while you have the upgrade; it's a very simple procedure."

Gadget blinked.

"_Switch it off?"_

"You have a long history of glitches that you can't control and the upgrade probably won't make much difference to that – it's a safety precaution more than anything."

Gadget was still confused.

"For what?"

"For when you're intimate with a partner- you wouldn't want to lose control of your gadgets at a time like _that,_ would you?"

He thought about it.

"I guess you're right. But that's going to take some getting used to; I've never been able to turn my gadgets on and off before."

Then he smiled as it dawned on him that he had never been given the _choice_ to switch them on and off before...

Lula got up from her desk and pulled a screen around an examination table.

"I'll take a look at you." She told him, "Just so I can see how much work you're going to need for this reconstruction. Then I'll give you some paperwork and you can fill it out for the upgrade and Quimby can sign it to pay for the procedure out of the funding for the Gadget Project. As soon as I've got the paperwork back you can come in and have the first procedure."

Gadget stared at her, feeling a little apprehensive to think that all this could happen so fast.

"Sure." He said quietly.

Then he hesitated as he looked at the screen she had just closed.

"We don't have to do this right _now_, do we?"

Lula saw the flicker of anxiety in his eyes and tried to put him at his ease.

"You don't have to take everything off. I just need to open up the plate that covers your pelvis and see what I've got to work with. Take your pants off and lie down and try and relax."

"Okay." He said quietly, and went behind the screen.

Moments later as he lay on the table, Gadget took in a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the ceiling above, not wanting to think about what Lula was about to do to him.

"Just stay calm." She told him, "I'm only going to unscrew a metal plate and take a look underneath. I expect you've done this yourself at some point?"

"No, I've _never_ looked at what's left of me." Gadget said quietly.

Then he heard the sound of a small rotating screwdriver and memories flashed in front of his eyes - _he heard the boom of the car exploding, then he felt the pain and recalled fighting back as he was held down and someone forced anaesthesia on him._ Gadget gave a gasp and his hand shot out from his wrist, extending fast, shoving her away.

She gave a yelp of pain and surprise.

By the time he had pulled his mechanical arm back he had realised a small knife had extended from his hand and Lula had a scratch on her arm and it was bleeding.

"_I__'__m__ so__ sorry!__"_ He said.

He looked down at his hand and the gadget slipped back inside him.

Lula glanced down at her arm.

"It's only a scratch." She said quietly.

He sat up on the table and took in some deep breaths.

"Sorry, Lula." He said again, "I just lost it for a minute – there's some things I really can't deal with and that's just about the _worst_ place to try and open me up."

For a moment he wondered if she was going to tell him to get out as she looked again at the scratch on her arm.

But as she looked back at him her expression softened.

"Its okay, Gadget. I'll examine you while you're having the upgrade, you'll be fast asleep and you won't have to know about it, how does that sound?"

"A _lot_ easier." He replied, getting off the table and grabbing his clothes.

He got dressed quickly, wanting to do nothing more than walk out of her office because he felt so bad about hurting her like that.

As he finished buttoning up his trench coat he reached for his fedora hat and then turned to leave.

"Gadget."

He stopped and looked around.

Lula handed him some paperwork.

"Just fill it out and make sure the Chief gets it in the morning."

He took the paperwork from her.

"I'll do that." He said quietly.

"_Gadget.__"_ Lula's voice had softened.

"What?" He asked her.

She looked into his eyes and smiled.

"It's okay, I understand why you lost control like that. You've had a lot to come to terms with, a lot of difficult changes to live with. I think you're a very brave man."

Gadget looked at her in surprise.

"Thanks."

She reached for him and gave him a hug.

He held onto her for a moment, and then as she stepped back she paused to kiss his cheek.

He smiled and felt himself blushing. She smiled too and then she looked down at the paperwork in his hand.

"Don't forget to fill that out."

"I'll do it tonight." He said, wondering if he ought to hug her again.

Lula's face looked a little flushed as she looked into his eyes.

"You'd better go."

"I know."

Gadget grabbed the handle and pushed, forgot the door opened the other way and bumped against it.

"_Oops.__"_ He said.

"I'll get that for you."

Lula opened the door for him, still blushing as she looked at him.

Gadget smiled.

"See you soon." He promised her, then he walked away with the paperwork in his hand.

* * *

><p>Three days later Gadget picked up Alicia from the hospital.<p>

She looked pale and tired and he had taken the trouble to go into town and buy her some clothes and she had thanked him for them, but as she sat in the Gadget mobile in a pale yellow dress she still looked as if she needed rest; the bruises on her face were fading and he knew she had been through quite an ordeal - but after seeing the evidence Max had showed him, recalling all he had learned was enough to cancel out sympathy for the woman - all he wanted to know was if she was telling the truth and taking her to the abattoir seemed like a good place to start.

"So where are we going?" Alicia wondered as Gadget mobile took off down the highway and headed out of Riverton.

Gadget kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road ahead.

"You'll see soon enough." He replied, "This is something we need to do – it really can't wait, Alicia."

She fell silent as the Gadget mobile drove onwards.

By the time they turned off the highway and headed down a long, straight road towards the old abattoir she had worked it out.

"No." She said sharply to Gadget, "I know this is one of the buildings my father purchased for recycling! I won't go in there; I've heard about the lies."

Gadget glanced at her.

"How come you know he bought this place?"

"I knew about his plans for metal recycling, he showed me a list of suitable buildings that he bought up for the purpose. _They__'__re__ just__ recycling__ plants!_" She insisted, "Don't believe all the hatred about the ACR – it's _not_ based on truth! My father wanted the word to return to a simpler time, when metal was used to make cars and planes and appliances- he wanted to persuade cyborgs to return to their human state of being! He had plans for a humane program to introduce them to life once more as a whole person, minus the artificial additions –"

Gadget looked away from the road and glared at her.

"So he would expect someone like me to have half my body removed and _then __what?_ How would I spend the rest of my life? I'll _tell_ you what would have happened to me, I would have been back in the hospital hooked up to life support and I wouldn't have lasted long!"

"I didn't mean _you,_ Gadget! I'm talking about people who have minor alterations - people who can live _without_ them. If my father had come to power I never would allowed anyone to pressurise you to reprocess your robotic parts - _I__ would __have__ kept__ you__ safe__ because__ you__'__re__ different._"

And she smiled at him sweetly but the look in her eyes made him go cold.

"Why am I different?"

They had pulled up outside the abattoir.

"Alicia?" He demanded "Tell me, _why_ am I different?"

She looked into his eyes.

"Because even though you're _one__ of__ them_ you're _nice._ I like you, I wouldn't let you suffer, Gadget! I would have given you a good life in the new age of pure flesh – maybe even got you a job working for my father. He would have welcomed you once he knew your transformation was carried out without your consent. _He __would__ have__ helped __you __to __conceal__ your __abnormalities, __especially __when__ I__ told__ him__ you__ were__ a __person__ who__ mattered __to __me;__ all__ he __would__ have__ asked__ in__ return__ would__ have __been__ your __loyalty._"

As he heard her speak those words he felt chilled to his metal core.

"Thanks Alicia." He said quietly, "But I would have refused him – _and_ you."

He saw the sparkle leave her eyes and then he got out of the car.

"Come on," He said, "You need to witness this for yourself – you need to see what your father was building in here."

Alicia took in a shaky breath as her face turned pale

"I'd rather sit here in Gadget mobile."

To her alarm the car unlocked the passenger door and it opened.

Gadget extended his hand out from his wrist and she watched as the metal stretched longer, then he closed his hand over hers and clasped it tightly.

"_Out.__"_ He stated.

Her gaze was still fixed uncomfortably on his extended arm as she stepped from the car.

Once she was beside him his arm slid back into place, closing off with a click just below his watch that was built into the metal part of his lower arm.

She said nothing as he led her over to the door of the abattoir. It was chained shut and he looked at the lock for a moment and then raised a hand towards it.

"Go go Gadget bolt cutter." He stated.

The cutter shot out of his hand and snapped through the steel, then the chains fell open. As the bolt cutter slipped out of sight Gadget kept a firm hold of Alicia with his other hand and then pushed the door. It opened slowly and he stepped inside, taking her with him as he reached for a switch and then the place was bathed in light.

He glanced around; this place was much like the factory Max had shot footage of – except this one was much older and there were old wooden beams here, even the walls were made of wood.

They walked together down a long, narrow corridor. At the end of it he noticed the same insignia on the wall as the one that was tattooed on Alicia's hand.

"Have you ever seen one of these places before?" He said quietly.

Then he glanced at her, noticing how Alicia was looking around and seemed slightly bewildered.

"No." She told him, "And I can assure you _all_ machinery in here is for legitimate recycling – those stories about machines that take apart cyborgs are _fictional!_ It's just rumours set up to hurt my father's reputation!"

Gadget indicated to the large electrical stun gun on the wall.

"That's not left over from when this place was a slaughter house. It's designed to stun cyborgs. And over here is a separation machine, its purpose is to tear metal from flesh and send the metal away for reuse and take the flesh away for disposal."

Alicia stood in the middle of the room and stared at her father's machine. She looked along the conveyor belt, into the hole in the machine where she could see steel jaws.

Gadget walked over to the machine.

"Come and take a closer look."

She shook her head, standing still in the middle of the room with a frightened look on her face.

Gadget held his hand out to her.

"Come over here and have a look - don't make me force you, I just want you to see this."

She shook her head again.

"Alicia." Gadget said firmly, "I'll _make_ you do it if you won't walk...come over here, please!"

"_NO!__"_ She yelled.

Then Alicia bolted from the room and hit the light switch as she ran, leaving Gadget standing alone in darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the lights went out Gadget remembered his glitches and kept focussed on his job and hoped his gadgets would do the same.

"_Go __go __gadget__ night__ vision.__"_ He stated.

Lenses slid down from his hat and clicked into place and he saw the thermal image of Alicia running for the corridor. She clutched at her side and stumbled, bumping into a wall.

He knew he could reach her from where he stood.

"Go go gadget arms." He said and his hands stretched out as his arms grew longer, stretching across the room, snaking down the corridor and she screamed as he grabbed her.

Gadget slowly pulled her back, pausing to hit the lights as she passed the switch.

As the room was bathed in light once more his night vision lenses folded back and went up into his hat.

"Let go of me!" She cried, struggling as he gripped her tighter.

"Stop struggling – your scar's barely healed, you'll hurt yourself."

He was slowly winding his arms in once more and bringing her back towards him.

Alicia breathed heavily as she took faltering steps towards him; he kept a tight grip on her until his arms were back in place and his hands had met with his wrists, then he let go of her with one hand but kept a tight grip on her other arm.

"_Don__'__t_ run away from me again." He stated, "I _will_ use force to bring you back, do you understand me?"

Alicia started to cry as she nodded.

"I just don't want to look at that thing." She said, "My father did _not_ create that machine!"

Gadget led her over to the conveyor belt.

"_I want you to get up here and lie down."_

She shot him a horrified glance.

"Why?"

"I just want you to take a look inside the machine. I'll lie down with you, we'll take a look inside it together."

_"No, I don't want to –"_

He lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the conveyor belt. Then he sat beside her and put his arm around her, forcing her to lie down.

_"Don't do this to me!"_ She yelled.

Gadget held her down as he pulled himself closer to the entrance to the machine, dragging her with him as he went.

_"No!"_ She shouted, _"Let me go!"_

He pulled her closer and dragged her through the dark tunnel that led inside the machine.

As he held onto her he felt her shaking with fear and he gently stroked her hair.

"Don't be scared, I just wanted to show you this. _Look up_."

Alicia had been keeping her eyes tightly shut but as he spoke she opened them and looked up, knowing Gadget wouldn't let her go until she did exactly what he wanted her to do.

She saw the huge steel blades above her, frozen still with razor-sharp teeth capable of ripping flesh in their jaws.

Alicia gave a frightened gasp and then carried on looking at the steel monster above her.

Gadget was holding her firmly with his arm around her and his hand tightly about her wrist.

"What you can see right now is the very last thing your father's victims would have seen – the shock from the stun gun wouldn't have lasted long enough – people who died in here would have woken up around the time they went into the machine, then they would have seen the separator device – and that would have been the last thing they _ever_ saw - what you and me are looking at right now. And this _is_ your father's invention – intelligence has proof of it. _So__ tell__ me__ again,__ how__ much__ do __you__ know,__ Alicia?__"_

"I..." She drew in a frightened breath and looked at Gadget.

"I don't know anything about _this!_" She said tearfully.

And then she started to cry.

Gadget held onto her as he slid out of the machine and pulled her with him, then he stood up and lifted her off the conveyor belt.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked to her eyes.

"How much do you know about the reprocessing plants?"

"_Nothing!"_

"I hope you're telling me the truth." He replied, "Because I'm very good at getting to the truth, I'll get there with or without your help so don't lie to me."

She looked into his eyes.

"I _am_ telling you the truth! I don't know anything about that machine! I don't _want_ to know anything about it, either! It's horrible!"

There was a sound, like a scratch or a patter and Gadget looked up sharply, then extended his ear and listened further.

He heard it again and his ear snapped back against his head and he looked around the room.

A mouse ran into the shadows beneath the machine.

"_What?__"_ Alicia asked him as her face grew pale, "What's the matter? _Is__ someone __in__ here with us?__"_

Gadget frowned and looked around the room again.

He heard a squeak and then the mouse scurried again and he suddenly wished he had taken Brain with him today instead of leaving him at home in his basket gnawing on his bone - because even if he missed something, that dog would have sniffed it out...

Then he looked back at Alicia and remembered she was a civilian, no matter who her father had been - and it was time to get out of here.

"It was probably nothing." He stated, taking her by the hand, "You've seen enough. I'm taking you home now."

* * *

><p>Alicia remained silent all the way back to the house.<p>

When they got home he got out of Gadget mobile and the car opened the passenger door for Alicia and she got out too and followed Gadget into the house.

Brain jumped up from his basket and ran out into the hallway.

Gadget leaned down and stroked the dog.

"This is my dog Brain." He stated, "Brain, this is Alicia."

The dog looked at Alicia and gave a small wag of his tail, not quite sure about the new person in the house just yet.

"Hi Brain." Alicia said and patted the dog gently.

Gadget took off his coat and hat and hung them up in the hallway.

Brain looked up at Gadget.

"I know," He said to him, "You're hungry. Okay boy, come with me..."

Alicia stood in the kitchen doorway and watched as Gadget put the dog food in the bowl and then placed it on the floor, then he left the back door open so Brain could go out in the garden when he'd finished eating.

"Can I get you anything while I'm out here?" Gadget wondered as he stood with his back to her and opened the fridge, "Did you want some lunch or is it too early for you?"

"I'm not hungry yet." She said quietly.

Gadget was still looking in the fridge.

"I could make you a milkshake, would you like that? I love milk..."

Alicia felt emotion was over her as she thought about what Gadget had showed her at the reprocessing plant. Then she thought about everything she had ever been told about cyborgs – _about__ people__ like__ Gadget_ – and she blinked away tears.

"_Gadget..."_

She sounded upset.

He closed the fridge and turned around and looked at her.

"What's the matter?"

"_I __need__ to__ talk__ to__ you.__"_ She said tearfully.

Brain had just finished eating. He glanced up and saw the look in Alicia's eyes and instinctively knew Gadget needed to be alone with her right now, so he trotted off into the garden.

Gadget looked intently at Alicia.

"What's this about?"

She walked over to him and reached up and placed her hand on his chest, then she put her arm around him and leaned against him as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"_I__ lied.__"_ She said quietly.

"About what?" Gadget wondered.

Alicia pressed her hand a little harder against his shirt while she looked into his eyes.

"I _can_ feel it." She told him, _"__I__ can __feel__ your__ heart__ beating.__"_

Her words took him by surprise.

"I _can_ feel it." She said again, leaning closer.

Gadget looked at her for a moment, feeling unsure of how to react. But then her lips were brushing his and he gently pulled her closer and kissed her.

He pulled back quickly and looked into her eyes, feeling sure he had not meant for this to happen – but he couldn't deny he had felt something for Alicia from the moment he had first met her, even though in the circumstances he had _never_ expected to be anything less than professional with her...

"You've showed me nothing but kindness." She whispered, _"__I__ think__ maybe__ I__'__ve __been__ wrong__ about__ a__ lot __of__ things... I__'__m__ so__ sorry,__ Gadget.__"_

He looked back at her and smiled fondly.

"That's quite alright." He promised her, "We're friends now, okay?"

And then he hugged her again.

He _meant_ to let go but she was hugging him too and she didn't want to let go of him. As she looked at him he saw her pupils start to dilate, his heat sensors told him there were subtle changes happening to her body now - and he knew what _that_ meant...

_"No."_ He said quietly, "It's not the right time, not while you're in my custody."

She slid her hands over his shoulders and that look was still in her eyes.

_"Just hold me."_

She was still in his arms and as he looked at her he felt an ache in his heart.

"Okay, I'll hold you." He said, wrapping his arms around her, "I'll just hold you like this for a while. Is that better?"

Alicia nodded and then held him tighter, she slid her hands over his shoulders again and as his sensors felt the warmth of her human body so close to him, he gave a sigh.

"I wish things could be different." He told her, "I wish I'd met you under different circumstances..."

Then he stroked her hair and kissed her cheek.

Alicia turned her head and then their lips were almost touching.

She looked into Gadget's eyes and suddenly saw nothing but the man he was; the machinery didn't matter any more.

"_Kiss __me.__"_ She whispered.

Gadget leaned closer and their lips touched.

He closed his eyes and wished the moment could last forever as they shared a gentle, lingering kiss.

Then he pulled back again.

"Please..." Alicia said.

"_No.__"_ He told her quietly, "We can't get involved like that, it's not professional, it's not allowed, it's –"

Then he gave another sigh as he silently acknowledged the fact that he knew he had _no_ intention of pushing her away.

"_It__'__s __our__ secret,__ okay?__"_ He said nervously, then he held her tighter, remembering not to squeeze too hard in a case his mechanical arms bruised her, and they kissed passionately.

As she kissed him Alicia ran her fingers through his hair, then she slid her hands over his chest, Gadget was still kissing her as one of her hands slipped inside his shirt, stroking metal. The other hand slid much lower and then he laughed softly and broke away from her kiss as he placed her hand on his hip instead.

"Don't bother." He informed her, "There's no point - I told you I'm part machine. We can't make love – not in the way you want me to."

"_It doesn't matter."_

He saw the way she was looking at him and he knew those words had come from her heart. Usually if a woman made advances towards him, Gadget politely turned her down – mainly because of his robotic body. He hadn't turned down _all_ the offers that had come his way since he had become Riverton's greatest crime fighter but he often found himself clumsy and nervous when a woman made advances – but it was different with Alicia, he was feeling more confident now..

It crossed his mind that she might even hate him when she found out about his plans to upgrade his metal body, she had only just accepted him as the prototype that he was...but _that_ subject would have to wait...

"Are you sure you want to be with me?" He asked her.

She nodded, then kissed him again.

Gadget smiled and lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom – _but this time she didn't fight him and yell and call him names like she had on the first day they met – this time, she kissed him all the way up the stairs..._

* * *

><p>When Penny heard the door close she put down the book she was reading about childbirth and got up just as Max walked in to their apartment.<p>

"Hi Penny." He said warmly.

He aimed a kiss at her cheek but she shifted aside and his lips hit the air instead.

She was glaring at him.

"What's the matter?" He wondered.

Her eyes narrowed as she folded her arms.

"I was making some enquiries earlier – I was calling a few contacts to see what the latest was on the ACR and the folding down of their political movement- by the way, one of my contacts is an anonymous friend who works in _your__ department_ ..."

Max stared at her as he put it together correctly.

"_Why_ didn't you tell me?" She demanded.

"Alicia Mackenzie?" He wondered.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the one who escorted her to Riverton? As soon as I knew she was transferred by you I thought about what Uncle Gadget told me and I guessed the rest! _Why__ did__ you__ let__ them__ send__ her__ here?_"

"I wasn't up to me!" He protested, "I was given an assignment!"

"And you didn't tell me about it even though it concerned my Uncle!"

Max fell silent for a moment. He knew Penny hated it when he kept things from her- and she usually found him out, too...

"You can't write a piece on Alicia being in Riverton. She's in Gadget's protective custody until she testifies."

"I know that." She replied, "I wasn't planning to. I was just checking on the background story about her role in the trial for future reference. Uncle Gadget told me about Alicia being in his custody when I went over to the house – but he didn't tell me _you_ were involved too!"

Penny was giving him a hurt, accusing look and it was just as effective as twisting his arm behind his back because he hated upsetting her - simply because he loved her.

"You know what Gadget's like. He made me promise to keep you out of it because he didn't want you to worry. That's _all_ there is to it, Penny! He's not working on a dangerous case; he's just looking after the woman until the trials over."

Then he stared at her as he thought about what she had just said.

"Someone in _my_ department told you about this? That's a serious security leak –"

"Max, its okay, the person who keeps me informed is very careful with their information. They give it to me because they _trust_ me, it's an old friend of mine and that's _all_ you need to know."

"That's not right." He said to her.

"That's journalism!" Penny replied, "I have a lot of sources for _all_ kinds of information – you'd be surprised how high up they go in the government!"

"You don't tell me these things." He reminded her.

"You never bring your work home either." She stated, "And you should have _told_ me as soon as you knew Uncle Gadget was involved!"

"He asked me not to tell you."

"So what? You _know _I like to look out for him!"

"Penny..." Max pleaded, but she turned and walked out of the room.

Moments later she came back with a pillow and a blanket.

As she looked at her husband there was still anger in her eyes – and he knew by that look it was going to be quite a while before she forgave him for hiding his involvement in this from her...

"_You__'__re __on__ the__ couch__ tonight.__"_ Penny informed him, then she picked up her book, left the room and went upstairs to read alone.

* * *

><p>By now it was late afternoon and Gadget was still holding onto Alicia, he had one arm around her shoulder as he led her close, while his other arm had partially extended to wrap around her that little bit more and hold her right against him.<p>

He kissed her and then looked into the eyes of the woman who was sharing his bed and his pillow.

"Did you like that?" He wondered.

Alicia smiled.

"You _know_ I did!"

Then she reached for his hand and kissed his fingertips.

Gadget smiled back at her as he thought about what he had whispered to her when they left their clothes on the floor in a messy heap and got into bed together.

"I told you I'm a good kisser and I'm good with my hands, too – that's _all_ I can do but I _am_ good at it!"

As Alicia moved slightly Gadget unwound his extended arm from her waist and his hand reconnected with his wrist.

Alicia ran her hands up his chest, over metal and then placed her hands on the skin that covered his shoulders.

"You spent hours making me feel good. _I__ want__ to __do __the__ same__ for__ you_."

Gadget fell silent as he thought back to the past, back to the kind of love he had shared with G2:

_She had never even thought about him being different to other men;_ she had been all robot and their love had been the kind where kisses and caresses led to sparks flying of the electrical kind, their love had been emotional more than physical and that was _all_ they could share – but they had been happy just to be together.

G2 had taken an interest in human biology and expressed regret that she was not able to have children like a human female. But they had both left the subject alone, being thankful to simply be together and love each other...

_Even though their love was limited physically, he had never loved anyone as much as he loved G2 and guessed he probably never would again..._

Alicia was still looking at him.

"Gadget? Did you hear me, I said I –"

"Yes I heard you." He replied, "You can't really give me much in the way of pleasure, honey. Just hold me, let's cuddle up for a while, it's better than nothing."

"There must be _something_ I can do."

Gadget gave a sigh against the pillow and decided to share something that he had been holding back.

"I'm very sensitive on my throat and my upper chest - it's where I've still got some human nerve endings. You could kiss me a little bit; I'd feel that quite intensely."

As Alicia started to gently stroke his shoulders and kiss his throat he took in a sharp breath, feeling a heightened awareness of her touch. He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered to her not to stop as the sensation drove him crazy, made him breathless - then he wished he had never told her to do that because it was taking him to a point where he needed much more, he needed to _do_ much more – _and__ he __knew__ that__ he__ could__ not._

"Okay, that's enough... _stop_..."

"I _like_ kissing you." Alicia replied, pressing her face against his shoulder as she kissed his flesh again and he felt the warmth of her breath on what remained of his human skin.

"_No, stop it..."_

Alicia stopped and looked at him.

"_Gadget?__"_ She said in a bewildered voice.

He took in a deep breath and blinked away tears.

_"I get a bit emotional sometimes. I guess it's because I want to do things I can't do any more."_

He took another deep breath and forced himself to calm down; up until now they had spent a long, wonderful afternoon together and he didn't want to spoil it.

He managed to smile as he looked into Alicia's eyes.

"I know I made _you_ feel good, that's all that matters to me."

Alicia kissed him again and then he held her in his arms once more.

"Let's just get some sleep now, shall we?" He suggested.

"Okay." She whispered, _"__I __love __you,__ Gadget.__"_

Then she closed her eyes and slipped into a restful sleep, while Gadget stayed awake looking up at the ceiling, wondering if he ever should have crossed this line and slept with the woman in his custody. Then he watched her sleeping, wondering if he ought to have told her he loved her too – but there was doubt in his mind and it was more to do with trust than anything else; he still wasn't sure if she was telling him the truth about how much she knew about the reprocessing plants – _and__ as__ long__ as __that __doubt__ was __in__ his__ mind, __he __could__ make __no __room __in__ his __heart__ to__ allow__ himself__ to__ love__ her..._

* * *

><p>As night fell a car pulled up outside the former abattoir just outside of Riverton.<p>

"Are you sure about this?" Wondered the man with dark hair tied back in a pony tail who pulled a gun from inside his leather jacket.

Laura Riley had been sitting in the car with her gaze fixed on the door to the abattoir. She turned her head and then the blonde woman with eyes like ice glared at her husband.

"I'm always sure about everything! If you listened to me she never would have got away in the first place, Jason! I managed to scan some communications I hacked from Intelligence, it took a few days to decode it but she's _definitely_ in town. Some cop's guarding her called Gadget. It's ironic that she's in Riverton– this old place was one of Victor's first reprocessing plants."

Jason looked over at the old building.

"It seems like only yesterday he tested the separation machine for the first time. It worked exactly like it was supposed to–_and_ it was entertaining." He replied, then his voice darkened as he thought about the collapse of Victor's empire and the loss of their investments.

"We put millions into the ACR! I know we can pull it back together if we get the right support – there are former party members why would take over with me... we just have to wait until the trial's over, reinvent ourselves and disguise our true agenda."

Laura looked at her husband doubtfully.

"We can't do anything if Alicia testifies – until she's silenced, everything is on hold and we are _still_ on the run."

"So we find her and get her back – then we kill her."

She shook her head.

"You make it sound so simple. She'll be heavily guarded. She won't come running back to us after what we did to her."

"After what _I_ did." He admitted

"I can understand your anger – she was going to turn us all in. _But __remember__ we __still__ have __an__ ace__ to__ play_."

And she held up a small disc and smiled.

"Keep that safe." Jason told her, "It could be the solution to our problem."

"I can understand her wanting it back – but after the cops see it she'll _still_ have to testify."

"Forget about that." Jason said, "She won't testify... because she _will_ want that evidence back and when she comes to get it, we'll kill her."

Laura thought about it.

"She's not stupid, Jason. She won't just run away from a place of safety."

"I know that, I'll have to think of a way to make her run."

"She won't run to _us_."

"She might." He replied, "It depends how we both handle this. Think about her situation: she's alone she has nothing, she's a prisoner. How long can you see Victor's daughter living like that when she grew up being treated like royalty?"

Laura still had her doubts. She looked back at the old building.

"Why did you want to come here?"

"We can't do anything right now, we need to wait, we need to move slowly and carefully. And there's no rush – the trial's not starting for weeks; we've got time to sit back and make our plans - but we can't stay in Riverton."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"Here? You want us to stay here?"

"What's the matter?" He asked her, recalling what had once happened inside that building back in the days when the machine needed to be tested, "What are you scared of, _ghosts?_"

* * *

><p>It was late at night when Gadget woke up and at first he recalled what he had shared with Alicia and moved closer to her.<p>

Then he heard her give a gasp.

"_Gadget!__"_ She said breathlessly.

He looked into her eyes, still half asleep.

"I know you said I was good, but I'm not even touching you right now..."

She dragged in another breath.

"Get..._off..._me! You're too..._heavy!_"

"_Sorry!"_

Gadget quickly rolled off her, then she breathed heavily, recovering from almost being crushed by the weight of his robotic body.

He sat up.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded.

"Don't lay all over me again!"

"I'm sorry." He said again "I'm very heavy – it's the way I'm constructed..."

Then a sound cut through the air.

Gadget was still concerned about Alicia.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"The phone's ringing." She told him.

Gadget gave a sigh and extended his arm across the room to pick up the upstairs extension. He wound it back to his ear and remembered not to be snappy when he spoke even though it was late - because the last time he had done that Penny had been on the end of the phone.

"Gadget speaking."

"I know it's late but I needed to let you know you can have the upgrade as soon as possible, all the paperwork's signed and everything's ready." Said Lula.

Gadget paused as he thought about it.

"That was fast." He finally replied, "I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly."

She picked up on the tension in his voice.

"You can always delay the procedure if you haven't made a definite decision."

"No." He replied, "I've made up my mind, I'm going through with it. "

Gadget listened as she spoke again.

"I have some arrangements to make and then I'll call you- I'll let you know before midday tomorrow... I've just got some stuff to tie up – work, that's all."

As Gadget spoke, Alicia listened.

Then he hung up the call and his arm snaked out of the room and returned without the phone.

She watched as he settled back on the pillow and gave a heavy sigh.

"Gadget, what's wrong?"

He looked at her and hoped she would understand – because he knew her views wouldn't change over night even if they had been close and intimate; Alicia despised the idea of anyone having cybernetic alterations and this was bad timing, but if he lied to her it would seem even worse to her when she realised what was going on...

Gadget turned on his side and gently stroked her hair as he looked into her eyes.

"Remember I told you I'm a prototype? I'm the prototype for all cyborg life. I was the very first one. I have to go to the cybernetics lab at the hospital to have some work done – if I don't do it I could be out of a job. And even _without_ that possibility I need this work done. It's major, it's risky but I feel I have no choice."

Alicia stared at him.

"_You__'__re __planning __to __further__ dehumanise__ yourself?__"_

That look was back in her eyes, that accusing look as if she thought he was some kind of monster, but she wasn't afraid of him now – she was just angry with him.

"Do _not_ do this to yourself!" She yelled, pushing his hand away as he tried to reach for her, "How could you do this after what we've shared today?"

Gadget felt tears sting his eyes and he blinked them away because he wasn't about to let her see her ignorance had made him tearful when he was feeling vulnerable.

"I'm having the density of my metal altered. I'm having synthetic skin. And when it's over I'm having a reconstruction so I can take you to bed and do more than just kiss you and run my hands over you."

"You're doing this for _me?_" She said in horror.

"_No.__"_ He replied honestly, "I'm doing this for _me._ I would have done it a long time ago if the technology had been available."

Alicia got out of bed and snatched her clothes from the floor.

"I thought I knew you," She said coldly, "And just when I thought you were telling me the truth I find out I was _wrong!_"

"No, Alicia – please listen to me!"

She glanced back at Gadget, then left the room and went into the spare bedroom and shut the door loudly.

As the door slammed Gadget sat alone in bed and suddenly wondered if he was doing the right thing – it had been a long while since he had got close to anyone – he had never expected this to happen with a woman in his custody, but as he lay beside her, in his optimistic way, he had closed his eyes and felt the warmth of her next to him and pictured a different kind of future:

_Alicia __would__ testify__ at__ the __trial,__ then __maybe __she __would __settle __in__ Riverton __and__ after__ a __long__ wait,__ when__ all__ the__ dust__ had__ settled,__ they __could__ start__ to__ plan __their__ future__ together..._

But it wasn't working out that way and all he had to look forward to was a lonely journey to the lab where he didn't know how he would feel when he lay back on that table and allowed Lula put him to sleep. It was starting to scare him to think about doing it alone too – _but__ he__ knew __how__ Alicia__ felt __-__ what __had__ he __really __expected__ her__ to__ do,__ come__ along__ and__ hold__ his __hand?_

For a split second he thought about calling Penny – but he quickly cancelled that idea. He didn't want his niece getting worried about anything, especially not right now because she was pregnant.

After thinking about it all for a long time while he sat alone in the dark, Gadget decided to call the Chief in the morning and explain that he needed someone else to guard Alicia for a couple of days because he was finally going to have that upgrade...

* * *

><p>When morning came Gadget cooked breakfast although he wasn't in the mood to face eating anything.<p>

He left Alicia's breakfast in her room and she just looked at him and said a quiet thank you, then turned away from him.

It made him feel as if what they had shared meant nothing to her and that hurt, but he managed not to show it because he had much more on his mind than worrying about what Alicia thought of his plans.

He called Riverton Police Department and spoke to Chief Quimby.

"What do you want Gadget?" He barked impatiently "I'm a busy man – this had better be important. I hope you're not about to tell me you've done something really stupid - like _lose_ Alicia Mackenzie?"

Gadget thought about the way she had reacted to the news of his upgrade and he felt and ache in his heart as he guessed he had already lost her, just in a way the Chief could never know about...

"No Chief, Alicia's just fine. I'm just letting you now I've been told I can have the upgrade as soon as possible."

"Great, get on and _do_ it – make sure they fix your glitches this time!"

"I'll need someone to look after Alicia while I'm gone."

"Why? Just bring her to the police department and we'll lock her down in the cells for a few hours."

"No Chief - I'm going to be gone for at least forty eight hours."

There was a silence on the end of the phone as Quimby thought about it.

"That's a long time for some maintenance work." He remarked.

"It's a major procedure." Gadget explained, leaving out the part about the risk involved because he guessed Quimby just wanted results and all he was thinking about was having Riverton's finest crime fighter back on the job minus his faults.

"So I'll lock her in the cells for a couple of days." Quimby decided.

"No," Gadget said quickly, "She's doing really well here. I've gained her trust, she's been talking to me about the past and I'm convinced she knows nothing about the reprocessing plants. Please don't lock her up, she's been through a lot and if she has any more bad experiences I think it will definitely affect her state of mind and that won't be good for the court case."

"You're right!" Quimby exclaimed, sounding surprised, "You actually made a good point there, Gadget! I'll call Intelligence and ask them if we can borrow one of their men for a couple of days – Max ought to be able to do it, he's in town and he's qualified. I'll call them right now."

Then Quimby put the phone down.

Gadget gave a heavy sigh and wished he could just cancel this whole thing; all of a sudden everything was happening too fast and he wasn't ready for it, he wasn't ready because he knew there was a risk and he had not told Penny about _any_ of that...

Then he wondered if Max would tell her where he was going – _surely__ not,__ he __kept__ work __separate __from__ his__ private __life,__ didn__'__t__ he?_ He hoped he was right because the thought of Penny being around and the possibility - no matter how remote – of someone trying to kill Alicia didn't bear thinking about, he didn't want his niece to be in danger while he wasn't around...

_Ten minutes later Quimby phoned him back._

Gadget opened his mouth to speak but the Chief got there first.

"It's all arranged. Evans is coming over to stay with Alicia. And you have to be at the lab by ten o'clock this morning – I just phoned Lula Smith and arranged it for you."

"Chief," Gadget said, "About this upgrade – it's a major procedure, like I said before and –"

"It's all arranged and paid for, get yourself over to the lab and get on with it!" Quimby told him sharply, "It's about time you made some improvements, your glitches have caused a _lot_ of inconvenience and trouble over the years! "

"I know, I just want to say –"

_"Get over to lab,"_ Quimby repeated, _"I'm busy, Gadget."_

Then he hung up again.

Gadget put the phone down and thought about Alicia. He knew she didn't want to talk to him but right now he wasn't even sure if he would ever get the chance to talk to her again if anything went wrong with the upgrade...

Keeping that thought in mind, he went upstairs to try and talk to her one last time before he left.

* * *

><p>Alicia was up and dressed and she had finished her breakfast by now.<p>

She was standing at the window looking out and she had her back to him and didn't bother to turn around when he came into the room.

"Alicia..."

"Why are you still here? I thought you wanted to go and upgrade your artificial body."

"_No, it's not like that!"_

Gadget went over to the window and she turned and looked at him at last.

"Look in my eyes." He said to her, "Do I look like I _want_ to be going through this?"

Confusion clouded her own eyes as she realised Gadget was far from happy about it – in fact she saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes now...

"So why are you doing this?"

"Because I was the prototype. I'm the only one built like me with the kind of metal I have inside me and it needs to be upgraded, otherwise I could have serious malfunctions some day and if that happened I don't know if they could fix me. And I _want_ the reconstruction; I want to look in the mirror and see half my body looking human again! I want to _feel_ like I'm human again, can you understand that?"

"I can understand you wanting to be human."

Gadget blinked away tears as he spoke again.

"I'm no less human for being Gadget – on the inside, in my heart, I still feel like the man I've always been. But on the outside I can't see much of me left and I want to change that. They are going to give me more flesh to cover my body. It won't be complete because I need exposed metal to allow for my limbs to extend and my gadgets to work but I'll look more like the person I used to be. It's not about what people see when they look at me in the street, Alicia - it's about what I see when I look in the mirror, it's about wanting to feel again, to have skin that feels touch instead of sensors detecting heat! _I__ never__ wanted__ to __be__ a__ robot__ but __I__ learned__ to __be __Gadget._ I'll _still_ be Gadget when I'm through with this - but I'll feel more like myself again."

Alicia had listened to him. Her anger was melting away now as she began to understand.

"I was wrong to attack you for making that choice" She admitted, "I'm sorry."

"And I very much want the reconstruction too." He added, "But I can't have that until I've had the upgrade. I have to wait a few days to go back and have that done. But that's a safe procedure because I'll have had the upgrade by then."

Alicia's eyes widened.

"How dangerous _is_ this upgrade, Gadget?"

"There's a small chance that I might not be coming back." He said quietly, _"I'm a prototype; they don't know what they're up against to mess around with my body. I have to be put into deep unconsciousness and no one can guarantee I'll wake up again."_

Alicia stared at him.

"You can't do this, Gadget! I can't lose you, I _love_ you!"

And she put her arms around him and held him tightly.

Gadget kissed her and hugged her and carried on holding her close.

"Promise me you won't say a word about how dangerous this upgrade could be."

"Why?" She wondered.

"My niece is pregnant and I don't want you telling Max anything because he _will_ repeat it to her, he won't be able to keep his mouth shut about something like that."

She looked into his eyes.

"I promise I won't say anything. And I _do_ love you, Gadget."

As he held her in his arms he thought about what she had just said and then considered saying it back to her – purely because he knew how she would feel if he didn't make it through the upgrade procedure; it seemed only fair to consider her feelings.

"I love you too." He said softly, keeping his thoughts to himself as he thought about the possibility of the procedure going wrong - _and__ then __he__ silently __wondered__ if__ androids __went__ to __heaven,__ because __if__ they __did__ he __knew__ for__ sure__ that__ that__ dying__ would__ mean__ at__ least__ if__ he__ left__ this__ world__ he__ would__ be__ going__ to__ a__ place __where__ he __knew__ G2__ would__ be__ waiting __for__ him..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gadget was in the kitchen with Brain when he heard a car pull up outside.

He lifted the dog up and looked into his eyes.

"Now I've explained everything to you, haven't I, Brain. You know what I'm about to do is a very big deal but I _am_ coming back, I promise!"

Then he set the dog back down on the floor even though he felt like hugging him all over again – because he had told his dog everything would be just fine and he could only hope he was right about that.

Brain had picked up on his mood and his big dark eyes were looking up at him full of concern.

"Don't look at me like that!" Gadget told him, "I won't be gone long."

Alicia was still upstairs and he thought about going up there one last time to say goodbye – but then he heard the door close.

Gadget turned sharply, realising someone had just unlocked the front door.

_Only one other person had a key..._

He went out into the hallway and stared at Max and Penny.

"Hi." He said, _"Max, I thought you didn't take your work home with you..."_

"It's not his fault." Penny told him, "He said he had a job to do and he had to go away for a couple of days – I asked him if it was about Alicia and he said _Yes_."

Gadget gave a heavy sigh as he looked back at his niece. She didn't look like she was angry with him – it was worse than that; she had that look about her that said she wanted to get involved in this situation, her curiosity had been roused and now there was no way to make her back off...

"Penny, you shouldn't be here." Gadget said to her, "I'm guarding that woman because there's a risk to her safety."

His niece smiled.

"And my husband is a highly trained government agent, he's armed and I'm perfectly safe. Besides, I'd like to meet Alicia. Don't worry Uncle Gadget; I'm only here to help out while you're away. How come you're gone for two days? That sounds like a long time for a little bit of maintenance work."

Gadget looked at Penny and thought about telling her the truth. But then he pictured how upset she would be, how worried... _No - he didn't need to worry her about anything, he was going to be just fine and he had to keep remembering that..._

"Its a major upgrade." He told her, "These things can take time."

Then Penny looked up the stairs and smiled.

"Hi, you must be Alicia."

She walked up the stairs and met her at the top and offered her a handshake.

"I'm Penny, I'm Gadget's niece. I'll be staying here with Max while my Uncles away, it's nice to meet you."

She hoped her act was convincing – Alicia certainly fell for it because she extended her hand and accepted her greeting and all the while Penny was congratulating herself on being so convincing - _because__ she__ was__ sure __if __her __Uncle __needed__ help__ finding__ out__ if__ Alicia__ was__ guilty __or __not,__ she__ could__ easily__ get__ to __the __bottom__ of __it__ – __Alicia__ was __all__ alone,__ she__ would__ probably__ welcome__ another__ woman __to__ talk __to,__ maybe __even__ to__ confide__ in..._

While Penny spoke to Alicia, Gadget turned to Max and kept his voice low.

"Why did you tell her you were coming here?"

"I'm sorry Gadget, she made me tell her everything – she always does!"

"Your wife makes you tell her everything? Remind me again who you work for?"

"_Intelligence.__"_ Max said sheepishly.

Gadget's eyes narrowed.

"If anything goes wrong here, if Penny winds up in danger I'll hold _you_ responsible!"

"Do you really think I'd let anything happen to her?"

"Just take care of her." Gadget said sharply.

Then he called Penny's name and she broke off from her conversation and looked at him.

"I'm leaving now – I'll see you later."

Penny came back down the stairs and hugged him.

As she held him Gadget felt like crying, he felt like telling her everything, too – but instead he kissed her cheek and let go of her again.

"I'll be back in a couple of days." He promised her.

Then he glanced up the stairs where Alicia was still standing.

"Bye."

"Bye Gadget." She said quietly.

Gadget glanced at Max as he put on his trench coat.

"Take care of Penny and Alicia."

"You _know_ I will."

Gadget shot him a warning glance.

"You'd _better_ look after them." He said in a low voice, then he left the house and closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Penny was on his mind all the way to the lab.<p>

Even when he got there and met with Lula, she saw the look on his face and guessed he was feeling alone right now.

"You don't have to do this by yourself." She told him, "Are you _sure_ you don't want to call someone?"

Gadget lay back on the bed and looked around the lab; it was cold and blank and he felt so completely alone now - and he didn't even want to think about what would be happening once he was unconscious; _of__ course __he__ wanted __to __call__ Penny_ – he wanted to sob down the phone and tell her everything and ask her to come to that lab and wait for him, just because he would feel that little bit safer with his niece at his bedside. _But__ it__ wasn__'__t __fair; __Penny__ was__ pregnant __and__ she__ didn__'__t__ need__ this__ kind__ of__ stress..._

As the door opened and other members of the medical and cybernetic team came in Lula draped him with a sheet and Gadget shivered.

"Are you cold?" She asked him.

"No, I guess I'm just a bit nervous." He replied.

Then as she turned away he caught her hand.

She looked back at him and saw fear in his eyes.

"How dangerous _is_ this procedure?"

"I told you, there's a small risk with the anaesthesia. If you're not ready we don't have to go ahead today –no one would think any less of you for changing your mind at the last minute; this _is_ a very big procedure."

Gadget drew in a deep breath and thought about the situation: He couldn't back out now just because he was feeling nervous, this had taken time and money to arrange and he had been so sure he wanted to do it...

"_I__'__m __ready.__"_ He told her.

"Okay." She said, "I'll put you to sleep. Are you sure you don't want to call anyone?"

"No, I just want to get this over with."

"There you go," Lula said gently, "Just take some deep breaths."

Gadget took the mask from her and held it over his face.

He looked up at her, breathing in unsteadily as his nerves got the better of him and his head began to swim.

_Then he pushed the mask away and gave a sob._

"It's okay, just go to sleep." Lula said as she stroked his hair.

Gadget kept the mask away from his mouth as he looked up at her again.

"_I__ want__ Penny.__"_ He said tearfully.

"Okay, I'll get her for you. Just go to sleep, everything's going to be just fine."

Lula helped him to hold the mask steady and he began to breathe the gas. Within seconds he was deeply asleep, the human side of him unconscious now.

She stroked his hair again. A nurse was busy connecting him up to monitors.

"I'll call Penny for you." She said quietly, then she brushed a tear off Gadget's cheek and left the room to make that call.

* * *

><p>Alicia was sitting on a chair in front of the mirror on the dressing table.<p>

Penny smiled at her in the mirror as she combed through her hair and carefully started to cut the back of her hair straight across the back of her neck.

"What a lousy thing to do." She said, "Laura Riley must be such a mean person. I'll bet both of them hated you when they found out you were turning against them."

Alicia grew tense as she looked back at Penny reflected in the mirror as she tidied up her hair.

She had been grateful for Penny's offer to help her with it because she had been very aware of the fact that a large chunk of her long dark hair was missing- hacked off by Laura Riley, right before she had shoved the scissors in her face and threatened to kill her - Jason had stopped her, but only because he wanted to beat her or maybe worse - she still wasn't sure what he would have done if his wife had not been present at the time...

"Is that better?" Penny asked her.

Alicia turned her head as she looked at her reflection.

"Thanks, Penny."

Gadget's niece was still looking at her through the mirror.

"So how are you getting along with my Uncle? He said it was difficult for both of you at first."

Alicia turned away from the mirror and looked right at Penny.

"We're getting along just fine." She told her, "I never knew how blind I could be to the truth until I met Gadget. _He__'__s__ really__ changed__ my__ mind__ about__ the__ things __I__ used__ to __believe__ in_."

Penny felt startled on hearing that reply; she saw a look in Alicia's eyes that made her wonder just how well she was getting on with her Uncle – not _that_ well, surely?

Alicia had noticed she was being stared at.

"What's the matter?" She wondered.

Penny was wondering the same thing – what was going on around here? Alicia had a look in her eyes like she was... _What?_ In _love_ with him? He wouldn't, he _couldn__'__t_ fall for someone with Alicia's kind of background... _Could__ he?_

"Nothing." Penny said, "I'm really glad you're getting on so well with Uncle Gadget. I hope you don't mind me asking, but what made you decide to turn against your father's people in the first place? I guess you don't want to talk about it, but I can't help but wonder what made you choose to do that."

Alicia answered without hesitation.

"At first I was doing it purely to save myself, but after his empire crumbled I began to question everything. Meeting your Uncle has helped to make me see things clearly: I'm glad I'm testifying against the ACR. I was brought up to believe in their way of thinking but now I'm outside of it I see everything so differently."

"_Really?"_

"Yes, really." Alicia told her, "Believe me; I saw enough inside the ACR to know now that it was a terrible organisation. _I__'__m __glad__ I__'__m__ out__ of__ there_."

And Penny saw something flicker in Alicia's eyes that suggested she had seen things far darker than she cared to share, but she knew she would have to tread carefully to get the rest of the truth out of her and that wouldn't happen in five minutes...

Then the phone rang and Penny went out of the room to answer it.

Alicia heard her start to speak. Then she spoke again and mentioned her Uncle and sounded worried.

Max called up the stairs and asked who the caller was.

"It's for me." Penny said quickly, and then she spoke on the phone again:

"_I'm on my way right now."_

Alicia stepped out into the hallway.

"What's the matter?"

Penny glanced at her and noticed the woman ad turned pale and she looked concerned.

"Is Gadget okay?" She added.

It crossed her mind again that maybe her Uncle had got himself involved with Alicia – that was something she really didn't like to think about, but right now it was the last thing on her mind.

"That was the hospital - my Uncle was asking for me right before he went into surgery. _I__ have__ to__ go_."

Penny turned away from her and started to hurry down the stairs. Max met her at the bottom with a worried look on his face.

"What's the matter with Uncle Gadget?"

"Nothing I hope – but he was asking for me. He's in surgery right now but I think I should get up to the lab, I want to be there when he wakes up."

Penny grabbed her car keys and headed for the door while Max wished he could go along and be there for Gadget and Penny – but he had a job to do, he had to stay with Alicia Mackenzie.

"_I want to come with you!"_

Penny turned back from the front door and stared at Alicia.

She was standing at the top of the stairs with tears in her eyes and the way she was gripping that balcony was making her knuckles turn white.

In that split second Penny worked it out – _Alicia__ and __her__ Uncle?_ The very thought of her getting so close to him made her angry because of who she was – then she wondered, was she using him? _If __Alicia__ wanted__ to __turn__ her __back __on__ her __old __life,__ what__ better__ way__ to__ start __a__ new__ one__ than__ by__ marrying__ Riverton__'__s __greatest __crime __fighter?_

"Please let me be there for him." Alicia said tearfully.

Max looked at his wife.

"We could all go to the lab." He suggested.

Penny glanced up at Alicia and then looked back at her husband

"Just stay here and watch her and do your job, Max! I'll call you later."

Then she left the house, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Many hours later, as Penny waited at the lab and slept on a couch as the darkness descended outside, while she shifted in and out of an uneasy sleep that was broken once in a while by her own anxiety that would find her looking at the clock and then sliding back into dreamless rest, just outside of Riverton Laura Riley was also struggling to sleep.<p>

She stood up in the darkness and listened; the plant was silent except for a _scratch__ scratch_, then she heard another sound...

Not someone, _something_ was out there, in the shadows, creeping along the back of the separation machine...

She heard a snap, then a scurry – then the squeak of mice and more scurrying.

Taking in a shaky breath she drew out her weapon, stepping forward into darkness where only the machine was lit by moonlight from a small window.

_"What is it?"_ She murmured, keeping her grip on the gun as her finger hovered on the trigger.

Then it moved; a shadow too big to be anything other than a person - except this shadow was a black mass of shade, visible for a spit second by moonlight and then gone once more – it had loomed into view as a silhouette on the wall and then vanished as she blinked.

_"Where did you go?"_ She whispered.

As she stood in the silence memories crowded in on her of the day she had witnessed the machine put into action for the first time... _Victor__ had__ filmed__ the __whole__ thing._ Suddenly it seemed like yesterday and she listened harder, heard another sound... a _snap_ cut through the air and her finger squeezed the trigger.

The boom rang out like cannon shot as the bullet hit a pipe on the wall, bounced off and hit the ceiling with a crack that sent down a shower of plaster.

_The __lights__ snapped__ on_.

Jason Riley had thrown off his blankets and rushed over to the wall, his hand was still against the switch as he stared at his wife.

Laura was standing in the middle of the room, eyes wide as she breathed heavily. She was drenched in sweat and her hand shook as she lowered the gun.

"What the hell was that all about?" Her husband demanded, "I told you, we're alone in here..."

Laura drew in a slow breath as she tried to pull herself together.

"_I thought I heard –"_

"It was nothing; it's just your mind playing tricks. Let's go back to sleep."

He held out his hand to her.

She began to walk towards him and then stopped and turned back, looking fearfully at the shadowed area behind the separation machine.

"_I thought I saw-"_

Jason gave a sigh and beckoned impatiently.

"The gun." He said wearily, "Hand it over. You're too jumpy."

He snatched it from her hand before she had a chance to hang on to it.

"But what if we get company again?"

Jason's patience was wearing thin; it was uncomfortable sleeping here at the plant and having his sleep broken was bad enough, but having it broken by his wife seeing monsters in the shadows was the last thing he needed – he had never thought Laura could lose control like that...

"There's no one here, Laura! Let's go back to sleep – I'll keep the lights on."

She nodded and walked back over to the corner where they had laid out some blankets.

But then she glanced back over her shoulder, just to be sure – _and__ this__ time__ saw__ nothing__ in __the__ shadows._

* * *

><p>Penny woke up with a jump and sat up straight on the sofa; she pushed her long hair out of her eyes and blinked, remembering instantly were she was and why she was here.<p>

A woman in a white lab coat said her name again and Penny blinked away the last traces of sleep and looked up at her.

"I'm Dr. Lula Smith." Said the woman with the long blonde hair who looked too young and pretty to be anything like the expert that she was; for some reason Penny had expected her to be a lot plainer and older – she had sounded older on the phone- but she wasn't much over thirty five and that surprised her.

Penny got up and looked at her hopefully.

"How's my Uncle?"

Lula hesitated.

Fear was already flickering in Penny's eyes as she read the expression on her face.

"What's happened?" Penny's voice went up an octave as panic threatened to take over.

Lula took a deep breath and tried to explain clearly; it was difficult because she was tired after carrying out a long procedure to change the density and composition of Gadget's metal parts and with the flesh work that had been done to his limbs and upper body the whole procedure had taken far longer than she expected- it was now eight thirty in the morning and she had hoped there would be no complications - but now she had the difficult task of breaking bad news to Gadget's niece...

Penny's eyes had filled with tears.

"_What__'__s __happened?__"_ She demanded.

Lula thought about Gadget and trying to refer to him just as a patient was difficult but she managed to keep her emotions beneath the surface for the sake of his frightened niece.

"He came through the procedure well, he had the upgrade and right now his synthetic skin is healing and attaching to the metal beneath it, everything went according to plan – _but he didn't respond when we tried to bring him out of anaesthesia_."

Penny stared at her in horror.

_"What?"_

Lula continued to explain.

"There is an antidote we can administer but it has to be done intravenously and we can't do that until his skin has finished mapping out a network of veins beneath the surface- if we put the drugs through now his veins will collapse and damage the new skin and go absolutely nowhere. We can't inject it directly into an artery because he could go into cardiac arrest. Right now we have to wait and try the antidote as soon as we can and hope that it works."

Penny was still staring at her. She blinked and tears ran down her face and as she tried to speak she could barely breathe.

"_How...how could this have gone wrong?"_

Lula stared back at her.

"There was a risk attached to this procedure, your Uncle was fully aware of it."

Shock made Penny go numb for a second or two.

"He didn't tell _me_ about a risk..."

Lula gave a sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Penny." She said softly, "But I'm doing everything I can for Gadget. He should be ready for the antidote soon and then we just have to hope that it works. This always was a risky procedure because your Uncle was the prototype – it made everything else so uncertain. Please try and stay calm, I know it's difficult but he's got a chance of surviving this."

Penny's eyes grew even wider.

"He could _die?_"

"It's a possibility. It's not a certainty. He might pull through this. But if the antidote doesn't work, yes, we will lose him."

Penny gave sob.

_"No..."_ She said tearfully.

Lula put her hand on her shoulder and spoke quietly to her.

"I realise he didn't tell you everything but I'm sure he was only trying to protect you- he didn't want you to worry. But your Uncle wanted this procedure very much – he had good reasons for wanting the upgrade. He wanted to make his quality of life better. Please try and remember that. You can see him now, you can sit with him. Are you ready to do that?"

Penny nodded.

Then she wiped her eyes and thought about her husband and felt sure she had never needed him by her side as much as she did at this moment, even if it meant he would have to bring Alicia with him...

"I need to call home first." She said.

And then as she thought of her Uncle Gadget's life hanging in the balance her thoughts turned to someone else – the person she blamed for making him do this in the first place. _She __decided__ she__ would__ also__ call__ Riverton__ Police__ Department__ and __leave__ a __message __for __Chief__ Quimby, __just__ to __let__ him __know__ exactly__ what__ this__ upgrade__ had __done __to __her __Uncle..._

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later Penny was sitting at her Uncle's bedside.<p>

Gadget looked deeply asleep and as she looked at him she wondered how he could be in such danger; the heart monitor he was attached to bleeped steadily and he breathed easily, making her wonder if they had been wrong about this – maybe he would wake up at any moment and be just fine... No, he wouldn't do that, she knew because she was holding his hand and as she said his name there was no response. If her Uncle Gadget could hear her he would have woken up, he would have at least turned his head or squeezed her hand – but it was as if he was so far from her reach _nothing_ would wake him.

"Why did you put yourself through this?" Penny said quietly, "You knew it was dangerous – didn't you think about the risk? You _knew_ I wouldn't have let you do this!"

Then the door opened and Lula came into the room .

She walked over to the bed and leaned over Gadget, as she turned his head to remove a small dressing from his temple Penny stared in horror at the small scar that was rapidly healing.

"What's that?" She said sharply, "What's the scar on the side of his head? _What__ have__ you__ done__ to __him?_"

"It's just a small implant." She told her, "To enable him to switch his gadget mode on and off."

Penny blinked.

_"Why?"_

Lula hesitated; she guessed if Gadget had kept all of this to himself he wouldn't have told his niece about what kind of reconstructive surgery he was planning to have after the upgrade - and she wasn't about to breach confidentiality.

"It's part of his plan for other improvements. And he needed to be able to turn his gadget mode off sometimes. If he makes a full recovery any other procedures he has will be one hundred percent safe, Penny – I guarantee it – once he's recovered from the upgrade there's absolutely no risk attached to any further procedures he may choose to have."

Penny glared at her.

"There is _no __way_ my Uncle is going to have any more operations!" She said angrily, "You said he could die – now you're saying if he lives you want to do what, _experiment_ on him with more upgrades? Is it because he was the prototype? Are you trying to make yourself rich and famous by being the scientist who upgraded the first cyborg?"

Lula realised there was nothing she could say without betraying Gadgets confidentiality – and Penny had already reached her own conclusions – all wrong, but there was little she could say to explain the truth...

"I'm not doing this for any other reason than to help your Uncle." She told her, "He suffered some terrible injuries in the explosion all those years ago, Penny. Has he ever spoken to you about it?"

"No." She replied, and suddenly the anger vanished from her eyes as she thought about what she had just said.

"What's that got to do with having the upgrade? That's just to change the composition of his robotic body."

"And to add flesh to make him feel more human in _every_ way."

Penny just looked at her with a confused expression.

"But he _is_ human – my Uncles the most human person I've ever known... "

Lula watched Gadget sleeping for a moment and then she looked back at Penny.

"He's stable and that's a good sign. Hopefully when he has the antidote he'll regain consciousness and everything will be fine. That's what we have to hope for. And if you want to know why other procedures are so important to him, I'm afraid you'll have to ask him yourself – I can't tell you any more, I can't breach confidentiality."

Then Lula left the room.

Penny looked back at her Uncle and as she held on to his hand she wondered why he had wanted this upgrade so badly – but she _still_ blamed Chief Quimby for pushing him to do it in the first place...

She lifted Gadget's hand and gently kissed it.

"You'll be okay, Uncle Gadget." She whispered, "I won't let anything happen to you – I'm staying right here beside you."

* * *

><p>A short while later the door opened and Max walked in and she smiled at him, grateful to have his support at this time. She noticed Alicia was anxious and tearful and Penny just looked away as Alicia looked to her hoping for some words of comfort.<p>

When Lula returned she folded the covers down to Gadget's hips and Penny stared at her Uncle: Except for the points on his body where he needed to extend his limbs or use his gadgets, everything else was covered in skin. She could still see the electrical panel in the middle of his chest but her Uncle looked so_ human _all of a sudden._  
><em>

Lula checked the skin that covered his arm and then set up an IV.

"What do we do now?" Penny asked her.

"We wait." Lula replied, "If it works it won't happen immediately, but he's almost fully healed now so the drugs should start to work soon."

She paused to run her hand over his hair.

"Come on Gadget," She said quietly, "You _have_ to come through this..."

Then she turned to Penny.

"I'll be back in half an hour." She informed her.

As she left the room and closed the door, Penny glanced at Alicia. That woman was sitting on the other side of the bed, clasping his hand as if she never wanted to let go as she blinked back tears.

_"Please come thorough this."_ She said tearfully, _"Please, Gadget- I need you to live so very much..."_

And then she stroked his face.

Penny shot her a hard look and Alicia got up quickly.

"I'd better go and clean myself up." She said tearfully

Max got up to follow her, but Penny stopped him.

"It's okay – she's only going to the bathroom. _I__'__ll__ go__ with __her_..."

Penny followed Alicia out of the room and into a ladies washroom across the hall.

Alicia was standing by the mirror running the water while she wiped tears from her face.

She saw her through the mirror and turned off the water then turned around to face her.

"Penny." She said in surprise, "I was just trying to tidy myself up – I don't want to look a wreck when Gadget wakes up. I think he would be upset to think _anyone_ had been crying over him..."

Penny stepped towards her and looked her in the eye.

"I know what you're doing. I don't know how you managed to put him under your spell, but you're sleeping with my Uncle – and I don't like it! I don't think you care about him as much as he cares about you. _You__'__re __not__ good__ enough __for__ him_."

Alicia looked at her with bewildered eyes.

"No, that's not true! I told you, Gadget's made me see the truth. I have _very_ strong feelings for your Uncle- I don't see how anyone couldn't love him."

Penny's eyes had turned to ice.

"That, "She stated, "Is a _real_ problem for me – because I know you're former ACR and I am _really_ questioning your motives for having a relationship with my cyborg Uncle!"

Alicia's expression changed as she looked angrily at Penny.

"Oh Penny," She said coldly, "You _have_ to let go of this! I can understand how you felt - your parents died, Gadget took you in and raised you – at that age you must have seen him as a real hero, this man who was saved from death by having these amazing transformations to his body... and as you got older, well I guess you were at that _difficult_ age, _all those hormones bouncing around in your body.._. you must have had some kind of a crush on him. Innocent, of course – but all the same, _powerful._.."

Penny stared at her.

"Excuse me? What the _hell_ are you saying that for?"

Alicia shrugged.

"You didn't have a Dad to look up to; you had Gadget instead- an amazing crime fighting hero. Of course you had feelings for him that you never told him about- but that was part of growing up. You're a big girl now – he deserves to be happy and you should understand that. _Leave__ your__ Uncle__ Gadget __crush __in__ the __past__ with__ your __adolescence, __honey_."

Rage blazed in Penny's eyes as she dealt a hard, stinging slap to Alicia's face that almost knocked her off her feet.

As she staggered back and then straightened up clutching at her cheek, none of that rage had vanished from Penny's eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ talk to me like that again!" She said sharply, "I _love_ my Uncle Gadget because he's my Uncle! _Don__'__t_ try and read stuff in that's not there. _If __you__ ever__ talk __to__ me __like__ that__ again __I__'__ll __punch__ you__ out!_"

Then Alicia watched as Penny turned and left the room.

She gave a sigh.

_"I guess I touched a nerve ..."_ Alicia murmured.

* * *

><p>When Penny went back into Gadget's room she was still thinking about Alicia's remark and she still felt mad over it.<p>

Then she felt even more furious when she saw the man who was standing by her Uncles bed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She demanded.

Chief Quimby looked down at Gadget and then back at his niece and felt guilty; he regretted it now – he wished he had _never_ pushed Gadget to go for this damned upgrade.

"I'm sorry, Penny!" He said her, "I didn't know anything about risks – I just heard he could have an upgrade and –"

"And you treated him like a machine, you sent him off to get new parts! Is that _all_ you think of my Uncle? _He__'__s __just__ your__ crime __fighting__ robot?_ Haven't you ever stopped to think he's also a _person?_"

The remorse was clear in his eyes but Penny was still glaring at him as he spoke again.

"I swear I never would have asked him to do this if I'd known about the dangers. I've known Gadget for ten years, I know he's not perfect but I'm very fond of the guy. I may not show it but I am, Penny! Oh please don't think I would have made him do this if I thought it was dangerous! _You__'__re__ wrong!_"

None of the coldness had left her eyes.

"_No __more__ upgrades.__"_ She said sharply, "_Don__'__t_ push him to get them, _don__'__t_ sign forms to pay for the treatment – _no__ more!_ I just want my Uncle to come through this and then I want to take him home."

As she spoke her voice trembled and Max put his arm around her.

Alicia came back into the room and sat down on a chair by the window, feeling sure the best thing to do right now was to keep out of Penny's way.

Chief Quimby patted the back of Gadget's hand.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, _"I really am sorry, Gadget..."_

Then as Quimby patted the back of his hand again, Gadget slowly turned his head.

He opened his eyes and blinked, startled by a message in red digital lettering that reflected in his left eye that said _Gadget __Mode __Off._ As soon as he spotted it, the message cleared and he blinked again, realising he felt very tired – then he saw Penny and Max and Alicia in the room - _and Chief Quimby was holding his hand?_

"Hi Chief." He said,"What are you doing here?"

Then Max gave a sigh of relief as Penny said her Uncle's name and Alicia managed to smile.

Gadget frowned as he looked at Quimby- the guy usually yelled at him, he always had something to complain about – _but __not__ today..._

"Oh thank God you've made it!" He said, "We've all been so worried. Just get some rest, take as much time as you need. It's so good to have you back, Gadget."

_And then Quimby hugged him._

Gadget was still looking over Quimby's shoulder at Penny and wondering why she was crying – then it came back to him; he had asked for her... He wished he hadn't done it because he _never_ wanted to put her through worry...

As Quimby said goodbye, Gadget was too shocked to speak as he wondered what could have happened to prompt the Chief to be so nice like that...

Then Alicia gave him a hug while Penny glared at her for doing that.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alicia asked him.

To Gadget's alarm she made no attempt to hide her true feelings, she was all over him, stroking his face, kissing his cheek and giving him a big hug until he gently prised her off him.

"_Don__'__t.__"_ He said quietly.

Penny stepped past Alicia – more shoving her than nudging her out of the way – and she sat beside her Uncle.

"What did you do it for?" She said to him, "Why did you have this stupid upgrade – you almost _died!_"

Gadget looked at her.

"Penny, there's a few reasons why I did it. "

"This is Quimby's fault!" She added, "Pushing you into making yourself more efficient, he treats you like nothing more than a crime fighting machine; he forgets you're a human being!"

"Penny –"

"No, you _listen_ to me, Uncle Gadget! I've been terrified thinking I might lose you!"

Tears ran down her face and as he looked at her he felt like his heart was breaking.

"Oh Penny, I never meant to put you through all this worry! I thought I'd be okay – I didn't think I'd have problems with it."

_"Promise me."_ She said as she wiped her eyes, _"Promise me you won't have anymore alterations or upgrades – it's too dangerous!"_

Gadget thought about his plans for the reconstruction.

"Now I'm upgraded its safe for me to have more work done if I wanted to, honey –"

"_No!__"_ Penny said sharply, "_No,_ Uncle Gadget! I don't want to go through something like this again! I want you to be around forever, I don't want to even _think_ there's a chance I could lose you!"

Gadget pulled her into his arms and hugged her as she sobbed against his shoulder.

"It's okay, Penny. You won't have to worry about me like this again." He promised her, deciding as he hugged her that when he came back for the reconstruction he would make sure she didn't know a thing about it...

He hated lying to her; Gadget was honest and hated lying to anyone – but this was different - Penny just didn't want to think about the possibility of him coming back here for more work because she was convinced it was still risky, even though the risk has now gone because he was upgraded. And the other reason he had no problem lying about it was simply that Penny didn't ever need to know about his reconstructive work, so there was no reason for him to tell her about it...

_Penny cried in his arms for a long time. _

Then Lula came back into the room and the relief was clear in her eyes when she saw he was finally awake.

Gadget saw the way Penny looked at Lula – what did she think she was, some kind of mad scientist who was experimenting on him? Penny gave the same hostile look to Alicia too - and when Max left with Alicia and Lula had also eft the room he asked Penny to stay a while longer because he wanted to talk to her about something.

Then Gadget took hold of Penny's hand and looked at the woman who still reminded him of the little girl she used to be.

"Penny," He said to her, "You _wanted_ me to have the upgrade before you realised there was a risk – you wanted me to have a better life- now I can. And Lula's a good person, she's just trying to find ways to make life better for people like me."

"Maybe." She replied quietly, "But I could have lost you and I won't forget that."

Gadget changed the subject.

"What's with the dirty looks you keep giving Alicia? Has she done something to upset you?"

"_No.__"_ She said, avoiding his gaze for a moment.

"Penny." He said knowingly, "You've been giving her daggers ever since I woke up! Is it because me and her are becoming friends?"

She looked into his eyes.

_"With a past like she's got I just don't think she's good enough for you."_

Gadget gave a sigh as he recalled happier times when Penny was a child and he was married to G2.

"I know she's nothing like G2." He said gently, "And I'm not saying I want to marry her – but she's not the person you think she is! Yes we _have_ become close - when she's testified at the trial I'm planning to wait a little while and then let everyone know we're together. _I__ think__ it__ could__ work_."

Penny looked at her Uncle and noticed he still looked tired; he had been through enough and she didn't want to give him a hard time about these plans he was making because right now it just wasn't fair on him. If he was in love with Alicia she knew she would have a very difficult time convincing him to think twice about the situation.

Penny got up from his bedside.

"I'd better go." She said, "You get some rest, I'll call you tomorrow, I love you Uncle Gadget."

"I love you too Penny." He said warmly.

Then she kissed his cheek and left him to rest.

As the door closed Gadget hoped Penny would soon get over this dislike she had for Alicia - he felt sure that she would, once she got to know her...

Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, now feeling tired but almost fully recovered from the upgrade procedure that had come so close to going wrong. While he slept his skin became warm and joined seamlessly with living metal beneath and it did so painlessly; Gadget was mending now...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lula stood and watched as Gadget buttoned up his shirt and then put on his hat and reached for his trench coat.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave?" She wondered, "Your gadget mode will be offline for another twenty four hours."

Gadget smiled.

"I feel absolutely fine, Lula!"

"When do you want to arrange to have the reconstruction?" She asked him.

"How long do I have to wait?" He wondered.

"A few days, just to give yourself time to get used to the upgrade. I can give you the paperwork right now if you want to take it to Chief Quimby."

Gadget had put on his trench coat and was just about to close it up when her words sank in and he stopped what he was doing and stared at her.

"I have to take it to _Quimby?_"

"Cybernetic cosmetic procedures are expensive and all your work is paid for by the Gadget fund – Quimby can sign the paperwork to release the money – _or __you __could __ask__ Mayor __Wilson._"

Gadget's eyes grew wider as he thought about the mayor in her high heels and her figure hugging dresses, thrusting her cleavage forward as she smiled for press photos... _No,__ he __didn__'__t__ want__ to __take __it__ to__ her__ – __and__ the__ thought __of__ the __Chief __reading __exactly__ what__ the__ money__ was __for__ was__ just__ too __embarrassing __for__ words..._

"Can't we just fake a signature?" He suggested, "I mean, it can't be as expensive as my upgrade – maybe we can just fake it and no one will ever miss the money..."

Lula laughed softly.

"Just ask one of them to sign it and then I can make the arrangements."

"Maybe I can fold the paper over and say it's something for Gadget mobile instead." He wondered.

Lula spoke carefully, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable because she knew this was a difficult subject for him.

"While I was performing the upgrade I took off the plate and examined your pelvic area." She told him, "There's not a lot of scar tissue and let's just say all the plumbing's intact - so it won't be difficult to do the reconstruction."

Gadget felt his face heating up as he struggled to find the right phrase without making himself feel awkward.

"Will my new...um... _you__ know_... will it be a good sort of..."

He paused, looking away from her to avoid her gaze.

"_Size_. Will I be impressed with it?"

Then he looked back at Lula who smiled.

"Gadget, "She said, "Everything will be _normal,_ okay? You'll be pleased with the result, I can promise you that."

He smiled back at her.

"That sounds good enough." He replied.

He stepped closer and once again felt that closeness between them that made him want to kiss her – but he didn't. Instead he gave her a hug and then laughed.

"I still can't get over how much I can _feel!_ All I want to do is go home and hug my niece and hug my dog and ...Oh, what the hell – I want to hug _everyone _right now!"

And he hugged her again, suddenly wishing he had already had the cosmetic work done because his body felt so alive and he was very aware that he had a beautiful woman in his arms..._but__ he __also __had__ Alicia__ waiting __for__ him__ at__ home..._

"I'd better go." Gadget said quietly.

He was still holding onto her and she had made no attempt to let go of him, either.

Lula looked into his eyes.

"Wait – _I__'__ve __got__ something __for__ you_."

Gadget's eyes lit up and he hugged her again.

"Wait till I've had the reconstruction, then _I__'__ll_ have something to give to _you_ - and you won't forget it! _You__'__ll__ find__ out__ what__ it__'__s __like__ to __get__ to__ know__ Riverton__'__s __finest__ crime__ fighter!_"

And Lula stepped back and blushed.

"Actually I meant the _paperwork_, Inspector Gadget."

And she handed him the forms.

"Just get Quimby or the Mayor to sign it and I can arrange the rest."

He looked away as he realised his mistake.

"See you soon." She said.

She opened the door for him. She was blushing now and so was Gadget.

"Bye Lula." He said, leaving the room and walking quickly down the corridor towards the exit.

* * *

><p>As he drove home Gadget mobile was asking questions.<p>

"So," The car asked him, "What's the deal with this upgrade? Show me what it's done for your gadgets..."

He kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"Gadget mode on." He said.

Nothing happened except for the same digital message at the back of his vision that appeared for a brief time: _Gadget__ Mode__ Off_.

"I can't." He told the car, "My gadget mode's off line it won't respond to voice command for another twenty four hours."

"A whole day? I wish I could see it right now! I can't _wait_ to see what you can do with your new upgrade!" Gadget mobile said.

As he drove closer to home Gadget thought about his plans and smiled.

"I'm looking forward to doing a lot of things with my upgrade," He replied, "I feel like I'm a new man already."

Then the car stopped outside the house and Gadget got out.

As he walked up to the front door he remembered the paperwork that needed to be signed and he folded it up and put it in the pocket of his trench coat, he knew it would be safe in there – and now he was home, Penny had no reason to stay around, no doubt she would go home with Max and that would leave him plenty of time to fill out the forms before morning, when he would have the difficult task of asking for Quimby's signature...

A second after he shut the door behind him he heard Penny's voice.

"Uncle Gadget!" She exclaimed, and then she was hugging him.

As she let go she looked at him in surprise.

"How come you're home so soon I thought you needed to rest?"

"No, I'm fully recovered and fit for duty." He promised her, "And I'm going straight back to work."

"Are you sure you should do that?"

Penny had a worried look in her eyes again. Gadget smiled at his caring niece and wished she would understand that he was just fine.

"I'm okay, Penny!" He promised her, "And you've done more than enough to help out. Thank you for everything, especially for being there for me – but I _am_ ready to go back to work, I'm starting right now. How's Alicia?"

"Fine." Max replied as he came out into the hallway.

He smiled at Penny's Uncle.

"It's good to have you back, Gadget."

Then Brain came running through the house barking. He came to a halt at his master's feet and looked up at him with happiness shining in his eyes.

Gadget picked him up and the dog licked his face as his tail wagged furiously.

"Okay, that's enough." Gadget told him, setting him back on the floor again.

Then he looked at Penny and her husband.

"Really," He promised them both, "I'm fine, I'm fit for duty."

* * *

><p>Alicia waited until Penny and Max had left and then she gave Gadget a hug.<p>

He looked at her fondly as he held her in his arms.

"Missed me?" He wondered.

"I'm so glad you're home and you're safe!" Alicia told him, then they hugged again.

Alicia moved in for a kiss but Gadget held her back a little.

"How were things while I was away? Did you get along okay with Penny? You don't have to lie to me because she's my niece, I just want the truth."

Alicia hesitated.

"She...um..._ hates_ me."

Hearing those words made Gadget's heart sink.

"She just doesn't know you yet – when she does get to know you properly, when the trial's over, I'm sure she'll change her mind."

Alicia looked at him anxiously.

"And if she doesn't?"

That was something he didn't want to think about right now; Gadget always tried to be optimistic about everything in life – he was sure it was his optimism that had saved his sanity when he had woken up after the explosion and found half his body had been replaced with robotic parts – but the thought that Penny might go through life forever hating his choice of partner was something he really didn't like to think about.

_But even that was not enough to make him betray his own heart._

"I'm sure things will work out fine, give it time."

Alicia moved closer to him, looking into his eyes with a look that said she had missed him so very much.

"Want to go to bed?"

Gadget ran his hand over her hair, then he stroked her cheek.

"Let's just hold each other and sleep." He told her, "I want to wait until I've had the reconstruction. I don't want to make love to you feeling like ..."

He lowered his gaze, not able to look her in the eye as he spoke the truth he tried not to think about – something he had never liked to think about since the day he became a cyborg.

"_I__ don__'__t __want __to __make __love__ to__ you __feeling __like__ half__ a__ man.__"_ He said quietly.

"But I told you that doesn't matter –"

Gadget held her closer.

"It does to me because I know I can change that." He replied, "I just have to go and see Quimby and get his signature on the paperwork. I'm doing it tomorrow and I really don't want to think about how difficult that will be."

Then he went upstairs and Alicia went with him, Gadget held her in his arms until she fell asleep, but he stayed awake, wondering exactly _how_ difficult it would be to get the Chief to agree to release more money to pay for another procedure...

* * *

><p>Morning came around too soon and when the sun rose over Riverton, Gadget looked at Alicia and wondered if he ought to trust her and leave her at home; he was'nt planning to be gone long but that nagging voice of his conscience stirred him into changing his mind because he was the one and only Inspector Gadget – a man who was never really off duty – and to leave Alicia alone could prove to be a bad move – mainly because of the fact that he was meant to guard her.<p>

_He trusted her. _

Gadget was sure of it now; every time he looked into her eyes he saw nothing but love and it made his half-mechanical heart skip a beat.

He considered himself to smart enough to never let his emotions cloud his judgement, he was not a fool who could be blinded by love to the extent that he couldn't see the truth – Penny might have her doubts about Alicia, but as far as he was concerned, Gadget knew trusted her.

_But all the same, it could be risky to leave her alone._

So he made his mind up and a short while later they were both in the Gadget mobile heading towards Riverton Police Department.

When they parked right outside the building, Gadget took the paperwork from his pocket and looked at it. He had been up half the night filling it out, then spent the rest of the night losing sleep wondering how he could get Quimby to sign it without asking what it was for.

He glanced at Alicia.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to lock you in Gadget mobile. It's only for your safety; you know I trust you – I just can't take you in there with me when I speak to the Chief."

She gave him an understanding smile.

"I know that. And try to relax, you look so tense!"

Gadget gave a sigh; he knew this wouldn't be easy...

"Wish me luck."

Alicia gave him a brief kiss.

"You won't need luck." She assured him, "Go and see the Chief, get that signature."

Gadget got out of the car and watched as the convertible rolled down the top, closed the windows and locked the doors.

"Take care of her." Gadget said.

"You bet I will." Gadget mobile replied, then as he turned to walk away the car called his name.

Gadget turned back to the car.

"What's this about you having more work done? Are you getting some sort of _top__ secret__ gadget_, Gadget?"

And as she sat there in the car, Alicia giggled.

Gadget smiled.

"Maybe. Just look after Alicia, Gadget mobile!"

"But what's this about?" The car wondered.

"Just do your job, I won't be long." He replied, then turned away and walked towards the Police Department.

* * *

><p>Chief Quimby was enjoying his first coffee of the morning when Inspector Gadget arrived at his office.<p>

Gadget closed the door behind him and smiled as he walked up to his desk.

"Hi Chief, I just thought I'd let you know I'm fully recovered, fit for duty and back at work. And so far I've had no problems with Alicia Mackenzie. In fact I think I can safely say she's quite the innocent party in her father's crimes."

Quimby stared at him as Gadget took a seat and looked at him across the desk.

"You're sure about that?"

"As sure as I know I'm the smartest detective in Riverton." Gadget said proudly, then Quimby thought about his remark and _really_ started to worry...

"What does Penny think of her?" He wondered.

"Penny? Well she's not sure about her – but they haven't got to know each other too well. Max is pretty convinced she's okay, too. She's got _me_ convinced she's innocent. She says she knew nothing about the reprocessing plants and I believe her."

Quimby considered his remarks and hoped that Gadget was right.

Then he thought about how the upgrade had almost gone wrong and felt a heavy wave of guilt roll over him.

"Gadget," He said, "I just want you to know I _never_ would have pushed you to have that upgrade if I'd known about the risk. The truth is I just thought it was a technical thing, I didn't look into the human side of it and for that I'm sorry and..."

He looked down at the desk for a moment, then back at Gadget and he smiled and extended his hand.

"It's good to have you back." He said warmly.

Gadget shook his hand and smiled back at him, feeling pleased the Chief valued him so much.

"Thanks, Chief." He said proudly, "And like I said, I'm back at work and fit for duty again."

Quimby wondered about his upgrade.

"So what kind of a difference does the upgrade make to you?"

"If I'm back online I can show you." He said to him.

Quimby gestured to a pressed suit and a white shirt that was draped over a nearby chair.

"Show me by all means – but be _careful,_ Gadget_.__ I__'__m__ taking __Mrs __Quimby __out__ for__ dinner__ tonight__ and __that__'__s__ my __best __suit__ – __I__'__d__ hate__ to __get__ it__ ruined!_"

Gadget smiled confidently.

"Don't worry, Chief – my Gadgets are sure to have a _lot_ less glitches now."

Then he gave the command:

"_Gadget mode on."_

He blinked as a green digital message appeared at the back of his eyes and he smiled: At last he was online...

"Go go gadget automatic –"

The pistol shot from his arm and into his hand in the blink of an eye.

Quimby stared at the sleek silver weapon, then he noticed Gadget was looking at it too - with a mixture of surprise and nervousness.

"Wowser! That was fast!"

The gun slid out of sight and Gadget tried another move.

"Go Go Gadget arm." He said.

His hand shot out, extending from his wrist on sleek, fluid metal and he grabbed the Chief's coffee and carefully placed it on the edge of the desk.

Then he saw Quimby's eyes widen as he realised it was perilously close to his suit and his shirt that was draped over the other chair – Gadget quickly slid the coffee back in front of the Chief and retracted his arm once more – and he did it without spilling a single drop.

Quimby's eyes filled with relief.

"That's amazing! You're faster, you're not having glitches... I think that upgrade was worth every last cent!"

"That's really why I came to see you Chief." He began, feeling awkward now.

Quimby just shrugged it off.

"Oh, there's no need to thank me, Gadget – I'm just glad it all worked out for you."

"Actually Chief I need to ask you to sign some paperwork – _I need some more money released from the Gadget fund_."

Quimby stared at him.

Gadget shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

_"It's important."_ He added.

Quimby gave a sigh.

"Gadget, what ever it's for, the answer is _No!_"

"_But it's just a cosmetic procedure, it's not dangerous –"_

"No!" Quimby said sharply, "Your upgrade cost millions! I can't justify signing away any more money – _especially_ not for a cosmetic procedure – what the hell does that mean anyway? Don't tell me Gadget mobile's got jealous of your upgrade – what does that car want this time, new upholstery? Bigger wheels? A new fender?"

Gadget felt even more uncomfortable now as he placed the paper on the desk, it was carefully folded showing only the dotted line where Quimby needed to sign.

"No, Sir...it's not for Gadget mobile_.__It__'__s __for __me_."

Quimby looked at him in disbelief.

"_Why_ would you want a cosmetic procedure? What the hell is it, some kind of cyborg face lift or botox injections? No, I won't sign for it. You've had your upgrade and you almost died because of it! I can't risk you again like that; you're Riverton's greatest crime fighting machine!"

Then he realised what he had just said and as he saw a flicker of hurt in Gadget's eyes he wished he could take those words back.

"I didn't mean it like that – I _know_ you're much more than just a machine! I was never reminded of it more than when your niece Penny was crying her eyes out because she was afraid of losing her Uncle! I saw the look in her eyes and I never want that girl to blame me again, Gadget! She was right – I _never_ should have pushed you into that upgrade. I just didn't think about the risk – but I'm aware of it now. _I__ can__'__t__ risk__ your__ life__ again_."

"Chief, I'm perfectly safe to have the procedure now I'm upgraded – there's zero percent risk involved!"

Quimby shook his head.

"No, Gadget, I can't take that chance. I'll never forget the way your niece looked at me when she thought she was losing you! I've known that girl half her life and it hurt to see what she went through! I promised her –"

"Sir, this is something Penny _never_ needs to know about! This is about _me!_"

Quimby picked up his coffee and took a mouthful of it.

"_No.__"_ He said as he set the coffee down again, "I can't do it, Gadget. Now get back to work."

And the Chief picked up the form without looking at it and dropped it into the waste paper bin next to his desk.

Gadget stared at him.

"But Chief this is important –"

"_Out.__" _ Quimby said sharply.

"But Chief –"

"_OUT!__" _ He yelled.

Gadget got up from the chair and he half turned to reach the door from where he stood, planning to wrench it open with a rapidly extending arm.

"Go go gadget –"

He swayed on his feet as something large and heavy shot out from his hat...he realised too late he had got himself so worked up his gadgets were malfunctioning again..._another__ glitch__ was __about __to__ strike..._

The Chief stared in horror as toothpaste shot out of Gadget's hat, a _huge_ amount fired out with the power of a water cannon, it hit the ceiling right above the chair where his best suit was draped.

As the weapon disappeared back into Gadget's hat they both watched as the liquid pooled, then a big drip fell from the centre of the goo.

It fell heavily – missing his suit by a fraction.

Gadget and Quimby breathed a sigh of relief together.

Then Quimby looked at the sticky mess on the ceiling and glared at him.

"_Get out of here before I fire you!"_

But Sir, I need to explain –"

"_OUT!__"_ Quimby yelled again, _"__You__ almost __ruined__ my__ suit!__"_

Gadget turned his back and this time didn't use one of his incredibly long arms to grab hold of the door – he wasn't going to try and use _any_ of his gadgets when he was so upset because it would only mean more glitches and disasters.

"Almost ruined your suit?" He said quietly as he reached the door and opened it, "You just ruined my _life_."

Quimby heard him and wondered what the hell he was talking about, then Gadget slammed the door loudly behind him and the wall shook, the ceiling shook – and the rest of the toothpaste fell down and landed with a splat, covering the suit draped over the chair.

"_Gadget!__"_ He fumed, then he shoved his hand into the trash and pulled out the form, wondering what all the fuss had been about.

_Quimby__ opened__ up __the__ papers__ and__ started __to __read __through__ them_.

Then he tapped his code into the computer and pulled up Gadget's files – he was well familiarised with his robotic technology, but he had never bothered to read his medical files that dated back to the explosion ... mainly because he had always thought of Gadget as a machine, something he was regretting now...

He scanned through the details and then closed the files.

Then Quimby glanced at the paperwork again, reached for a pen and quickly added his signature and then hurried off to catch up with Gadget before he left the building.

On the way out he briefly looked back at his suit and guessed he would have to make dinner a little later because he needed another change of clothing – _but __that__ didn__'__t __matter__ now,__ after__ all,__ it__ was __only __a__ suit..._

* * *

><p>Gadget had just walked out of the Police Department and was heading towards Gadget mobile when he heard Quimby shout his name.<p>

He stopped and gave a weary sigh as he wondered if the force that he used to slam the door had possibly shook the rest of the toothpaste loose and caused it to fall – _that__ would__ have__ ruined__ Quimby__'__s __suit__ for__ sure..._

"Gadget!" He said again as he caught up with him.

He turned and looked at him and felt a little surprised – the Chief was _not_ angry with him...

"_I__'__m__ sorry.__"_ Quimby said.

Gadget blinked.

"Did you just apologise to me _again?_"

"Yes." Quimby replied, "I truly am sorry, Gadget."

He stared at the Chief. It was so unlike him to be so apologetic, to look at him so sympathetically.

As Quimby spoke again, he lowered his voice.

"Penny was right about me- I did think about you as a crime fighting machine. I guess it's because you're unique – it's easy to forget about the human side. But I just took a look at your form. And I looked at your medical file, too."

Gadget suddenly felt awkward again.

"You did?"

Quimby nodded.

"I knew all about your gadgets and the technical side of things but I never looked any deeper than that. I didn't realise how much you lost in that explosion. _But__ I__ know__ now_. This kind of reconstructive surgery has been around for three or four years now – I wish you'd told me about it, I could have helped you sooner."

Gadget stared at him. The Chief knew all about it now and he was being so sympathetic he was seeing a whole new side to him...

"You should have told me." He said in an understanding tone of voice, "You could have spoken to me off the record – forget about work, you could have talked to me as one man to another. Of _course _I understand why you need this procedure."

And Quimby handed him the signed paperwork and then gently patted his shoulder.

"_I wish you the best of luck with it."_

"Thanks, Chief. But it's a very safe procedure, I'll be just fine."

But then Quimby spoke again. His eyes were still full of remorse and sympathy and his voice so filled with compassion and understanding and Gadget was starting to feel uncomfortable because this was a subject he had never wanted to discuss with his boss - but now he knew the facts his boss was determined to show that he cared.

"No, I mean good luck with your...um..._new__ gadget_."

As he realised what he meant, Gadget inwardly cringed and forced a smile as he felt his face turn scarlet.

"Thanks." He said quickly.

But Quimby _still_ hadn't finished.

"You know, I mean I hope your _new__ gadget_ works okay for you, I really do."

"Thanks, Chief – I'd better go now –"

"I hope you're happy with it, that's what I'm trying to say – no man should be with out... um... a _gadget_." He added.

Gadget was blushing hard now.

"Thanks." Gadget said quickly, "I have to go, Chief."

Quimby patted his shoulder again.

"And I want you to know that if you ever need to talk about this, you know where I am."

Gadget's wrist extended a little as he checked his watch.

"Wowser, look at the time! Thanks Chief, I'll remember you said that – _but_ _I__ have __to __go_!"

And he hurried back to Gadget mobile, got in and started up the engine.

Alicia looked at him.

"What happened?"

"Take me to the lab." He told the car.

Then Gadget smiled as he looked at Alicia.

"He signed it. And I never knew the guy could feel so sorry for me! I wish he wouldn't - it was embarrassing! But at least I've got his signature."

Alicia smiled too.

"That's great! Now you can get your..." She thought about it and giggled. "Your _new__ gadget_." She said.

"What's this about your new gadget? What _is_ it, Gadget?" Asked the car.

Gadget gave a weary sigh.

"Don't you start too! Can we just stop calling it my _new__ gadget,_ please?"

Alicia giggled again.

Gadget looked at her feeling slightly irritated by the way everyone referred to his reconstruction – then he saw the sparkle in Alicia's eyes and he laughed too.

* * *

><p>Shortly after Gadget had left, two strangers had come in through the back door of the house.<p>

Brain had run away and hid under the kitchen table, in the shadows, in the corner, where he could watch and listen to everything.

But the Rileys had no idea they were being watched as they stepped into the room and took a look around.

Jason had the gun in his hand, it was at his side and he was relaxed but ready to raise the weapon at the first sign of trouble.

"Inspector Gadget's a cyborg?" Laura wondered, "His house looks so ordinary..."

Jason was still thinking about seeing Gadget and Alicia drive off in Gadget's car.

"We have to move fast – we don't know how long they'll be out."

Then Laura looked down at the empty dog basket.

"We'd better be careful – looks like he's got a guard dog."

Jason laughed.

"Look at the size of the basket, Laura! No dog that size could pose a threat to anyone – he probably took it with him when they went out."

"I didn't see a dog."

"We were parked too far away to see a dog get in the car! Would you stop worrying about the dog? Now let's take a look around."

"Where shall we start?" She wondered.

Jason gripped the gun harder in his hand.

"Upstairs." He told her, "We need to take a look through her stuff and see if we can figure out what kind of game she's playing with the cops."

As they started to climb the stairs, Brain came out from his hiding place and padded into the hallway.

He watched with big, dark eyes as the strangers went upstairs, then he slowly followed, pausing at every third or fourth stair to make sure he hadn't been heard. He kept his ears pricked up as he reached the top of the stairs, then looked around the corner.

They went into the spare room and come out again.

"That's weird." Laura said, "All her stuff's packed away in her bag and that bed doesn't look as if she's slept in it..."

Then she tried the second doorway. It was locked and she peered through the keyhole: This was a bright room with pink walls and a single bed. She could make out the shape of the head of a rocking horse by the window. This wasn't Alicia's room – it had been _somebody__'__s_ room, but not for a few years - the sunlight shining through the windows illuminated tiny specks of dust in the air; this room had been locked for a _long_ time...

They moved on to the master bedroom.

As they went inside Brain padded down the upper hallway and peeked around the door.

Jason went over to a closet and opened it.

"Take a look at this." He remarked.

Laura stared: Almost all of Gadget's wardrobe was identical; several of the same coloured suits, half a dozen trench coats... he had a few other items of clothing and a couple of other suits too – but mostly he just had his uniform.

"That guy must be obsessed with his job!" Her husband exclaimed.

"Proves that cyborgs are insane." Laura murmured, "He's half machine so half his life is dedicated to his purpose – the job he was built to perform."

Then she turned away from the closet and looked at the bed.

"Jason."

He didn't answer her; he was still looking through Gadget's belongings.

"_Jason!__"_ She said urgently, "Look what I've found..._ now_ we know what she's up to!"

He turned and looked at the bed. His wife lifted up some lacy underwear that she had found in the crumpled sheets.

"She's sleeping with him!" She exclaimed, "That's how she's planning to keep herself in the clear- testifying against her own people and sleeping with this cyborg cop – I ought to leave them _both_ a little present..."

She opened her purse and drew out a small disc that was wrapped in a plastic case.

Jason glared at her.

"I _told_ you, we hang on to that!"

"But if I was to leave it here can you imagine what that would do to her plans?"

"And can you imagine what it would do to _us?_" He fumed, "We don't want to ruin her love life, we want to _kill_her! As long as she's still breathing we're on the run, don't you forget about that!"

Laura shoved the disc back into her purse and slammed the purse down onto the bed. It fell on its side and the contents partly spilled out, but Laura had turned her back and was busy quarrelling with her husband now.

" What's wrong with screwing up her life before we kill her? Why should she get away with making out she's perfect?"

"You just don't get it." Jason was saying.

Brain scampered into the bedroom, got up on his hind legs and carefully closed his jaws around the covered disc, then slipped it out of her purse and ran out of the room.

As she heard a soft thump that came from downstairs she broke off from their disagreement.

"What was that?"

Jason raised the gun and headed for the door and Laura shoved the contents back into her purse and picked it up, not noticing anything was missing. Then she followed him.

They made their way down the stairs, out into the hallway - the house was in silence now. Then the breeze kicked against the open back door and it bumped against the frame.

Laura gave a sigh of relief.

"I thought someone had come in!"

"We'd better get out of here." Her husband said, "They could be back soon."

As they headed for the door, Brain raced towards the tree at the bottom of the garden. He slipped behind the thick tree trunk and watched as they left the house, then he dropped the disc, raked over the earth on his favourite patch to bury bones and started to dig like crazy.

* * *

><p>Lula was rather surprised when Gadget showed up at the lab with Alicia Mackenzie at his side.<p>

"Gadget!" She said, "It's good to see you."

Then her smile faded.

"And you must be –"

"I'm Alicia. I don't doubt you've heard all about me but please don't believe everything you hear in the news, Doctor Smith."

Lula remembered she was with Gadget and for the sake of politeness tolerated her.

"I don't." She replied, "I _try_ to keep an open mind."

Gadget handed Lula the paperwork.

"Chief Quimby signed it today. So when I can I get this over and done with? _How__ about __today?__"_

Lula smiled. She saw the way Gadget's eyes were shining hopefully, but he was barely over the upgrade...

"Gadget, you'll need to wait a little while longer. I can get this paperwork processed and give you a call in a couple of days."

"I have to wait _that_ long?"

Lula felt like hugging him but she didn't want to do that in front of Alicia. She wondered if his relationship with her went beyond a professional one because Alicia had a look about her that said she was very fond of Gadget – and Lula didn't like to think about how jealous that made her feel, because Gadget was her patient and she had no business falling for him - even though she knew that had already happened...

"Just go home and relax and I'll call you in a couple of days. "She told him, "You need to have a short rest between the two procedures and besides that I'm busy working in the other lab right now and..."

She looked into his eyes and thought about a subject she had been considering raising with him for a while now - but the time had never been right, it just wouldn't be right while she was treating him...

But Gadget noticed her expression and wondered if something was wrong – Lula had a look in her eyes as if she wanted to say something but just couldn't – _was __it__ because__ of__ Alicia?_

"Is there something wrong?" He wondered.

"No, it's just a little bit difficult to discuss right now."

Alicia spoke up.

"If you need to talk alone I'm happy to wait here. I'll just sit here in the lab. There are other people in here and the door is locked - I won't be going anywhere."

And she looked at Gadget.

"You _do_ trust me?"

"Of course I do. That's a good idea. You wait here."

Then he turned back to Lula.

"Let's go through to the other lab, we can talk privately."

Lula thought about it, then concluded there could _never_ be a good time to bring up this subject...

"Sure. Follow me."

As she walked towards a locked door, Gadget glanced back at Alicia.

She was sitting down by a table as a woman in a lab coat worked with some chemicals. Alicia smiled at him and he smiled back, then Lula put her security code into the door and it slid open and he followed her inside.

* * *

><p>As Gadget entered the other lab, he felt slightly guilty with Alicia being close by as he recalled what had happened last time he had been alone with Lula - but they were<em> not<em> alone this time, this lab was full of scientists busy working.

Gadget stared at the body that was covered on the table in the middle of the room. A slender hand was exposed and it jerked and then fell still once more.

That was when he realised the body was breathing; he could tell by the shape it was a female, but completely covered by the sheet except for that hand that twitched.

"What's going on in here?" He asked her.

Lula kept her voice low.

"We're working on something called the Hybrid project. We've built a human female with a combination of human tissue cloned from artificial genes mixed with one percent human gene. Everything's been joined as one – human tissue, artificial tissue and bone and living metal. Every organ has been separately grown and implanted. She's an organic android, artificially created with cyborg genetics and materials - but human. She's even got hormones and ovaries and she's capable of reproduction."

Gadget stared at Lula.

"You mean she's a _human_ robot?"

"That's one way of looking at it. But the project's running out of time and when the money runs out they'll have her destroyed because she's _too_ human - she was supposed to be a new breed of military machine but all we've managed to do is create a new breed of android that's a human - cyborg hybrid and it's just not what national security wanted. And of course I don't want to see her destroyed, but we can't finish her - she's got a partly organic brain but she needs an electronic part too."

Lula lifted back the sheet and Gadget stared at the sight of the hybrid; above her slender, human neck, pale blonde hair fell to her jaw line- except she didn't have a jaw. She had no face yet; all he could see was an open shell filled with a brain and optic nerves that hung eyeless.

Lula covered the body again.

"She has no face, no eyes - she may never even know that she lived- because we can't make the final piece of the puzzle to fit; we need a chip that won't burn out."

Gadget thought of the way G2 had died and gave a heavy sigh.

"Android brains are not stable enough, that's why they said they wouldn't build any more, Lula! Why did you agree to do this?"

"No, you're wrong! She's almost entirely organic – the electronic part of her brain would be very, very small but essential and I think we could design something effective _– __if__ we__ had __an __older __model__ to __dissect__ so __we __could__ figure __out__ what__ went__ wrong__ before_."

Gadget looked at her blankly.

"Well you can't have mine – I'm alive, I need all my intelligence to help me solve crimes!"

Lula looked back at him.

"Not _you,_ Gadget."

He frowned.

"Well you can't mess around with gadget mobile – he's a car!"

Then he saw the look in her eyes, a deeply apologetic look as she wondered how best to say this because there was no easy way to do it...

"What else could you mean?" He asked her.

"It's obvious." She stated.

Gadget still had a clueless expression.

"No it's not. I don't know what you mean."

She gave a heavy sigh.

"I didn't want ask you this until after you had the reconstruction, when you were no longer my patient. It's a really difficult thing for me to ask and even harder for you to think about."

Gadget blinked.

"What is?"

Lula took a deep breath.

"We need to take apart an android brain circuit system to see what went wrong, so we might stand a chance of making the hybrid a chip that won't fail. That's why I'm asking you if you'll allow me to do that. "

She looked into Gadget's eyes and hoped he would understand.

"You don't have to make a decision about this yet- let's get the reconstruction done, then it might be easier for you to decide when you're no longer my patient. I'll understand if you say no."

"Say no to _what?_" Gadget demanded.

Lula realised she would have to say it plainly, so she spelled it out to him:

"She was your wife – I can't do it without your permission." She told him, "But the only way to build a new chip is to take apart the only other chip that ever existed and find out what went wrong. _I __need__ your __permission__ to__ have __G2__'__s __body __exhumed_."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Gadget looked at Lula and words failed him as he thought of G2, laid to rest in Riverton cemetary in a crypt with an elaborate entrance that bore a metal cog wheel design and simply said _'__Gadget__'_. It was the place where he planned to wind up some day – next to his wife.

But next to _all_ of her, not _parts_ of her...

"_You want to dig up her body?"_

Lula could see the pain in his eyes and now she wished she had held back on making this request at least until after his final procedure; he had enough on his mind right now thinking about the reconstruction – but Gadget had seen it in her eyes and guess she was holding something back, so she had told him anyway and now she wished she hadn't, because this was hard to explain under _any_ circumstances...

"We don't need all of her. _Just__ her__ head_."

Gadget's eyes grew wider.

"You want her _head?_"

"Everything will be returned when we've taken the chip apart- we'll put her back the way she was, I promise we will treat her with respect."

Gadget took in a sharp breath.

"You're right – this _is_ difficult. I'm sorry Lula; I just don't know what to say about it right now. I'll need to think long and hard about this before I can give you an answer."

Lula nodded.

"I understand," She told him, "I realise this is difficult."

"It is." Gadget said quietly, "And right now I really don't know _what_ to say to you about it..."

* * *

><p>While Gadget was still in the other lab, Alicia sat in silence and watched as the scientists worked.<p>

_She thought about Gadget:_

She thought about the terrible explosion and everything he had suffered to become the cyborg he was today – he was also the man she loved and knowing that made everything she had believed in for so long to become so obviously a glaring lie – cyborgs were _not_ evil; she had wasted half her life believing her father's lies and it was only now, when she had met this sweet, kind, brave man that she had opened her eyes to the truth...

_As she thought about Gadget tears filled her eyes._

She looked down at the tattoo etched on the back of her hand; a symbol of hatred for Gadget's kind – and she wished she could just grab a knife and slice it right off her skin.

Then she noticed a small sealed vial on the table.

It was marked with the warning _Acid_.

As the lab technician picked up some paperwork and turned away, Alicia grabbed the vial and slipped it into her pocket.

* * *

><p>Gadget felt awkward as he left the room with Lula.<p>

As they approached the door to the outer lab he glanced back at the faceless body covered with a sheet and wondered if refusing to help with the chip was the wrong thing to do – because of G2 he knew an android could be so much more than a machine, and this new model was human... he couldn't fail to think that by refusing to help he could be denying her the chance of life...

_G2 wouldn't have refused to help anyone._

Gadget knew his wife had stood no chance of survival when her chip had burned out – but maybe if they could learn something from it – _maybe_ this new life form _would_ stand a chance of survival...

His heart was still heavy as he turned it all over in his mind – then he pushed aside all thoughts of G2 as he stared at the empty spot where Alicia had been sitting – _she was gone._

He turned to the nearby lab technician.

"Where did she go?"

"She said she needed the bathroom." The technician replied.

_"I have to find her!"_

Lula heard the worried tone in his voice and as Gadget opened the door she hurried after him.

"What's the matter?" She asked him.

"I don't know, I've just got this weird feeling about Alicia." Gadget replied, heading straight for the bathroom.

He knocked on the door and got no reply, then he tried the door and realised it was locked.

Then he heard a faint whine coming from behind the door.

He grabbed the handle and using a simple flex of his cyborg hydraulics, shoved the door open as the lock burst off and wood splintered.

Alicia was on the floor sobbing as she clutched at her burnt hand.

There was an open vial of acid beside her and the rest of the contents had spilled and started to eat through the carpet.

Gadget grabbed hold of Alicia and lifted her into his arms.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He demanded.

Alicia looked into his eyes and spoke in a voice weakened by pain.

"I wanted that mark of hatred gone forever, I love you Gadget."

"You could have burned your hand off!" He told her as he carried her to the door.

Lula lifted Alicia's hand and inspected the damage.

"She's certainly burned out the tattoo." She told him, "She needs to get this burn dressed. Let's take her to my office."

The pain was making Alicia shiver and sweat as Gadget carried her down the corridor.

"_I__ had __to__ do__ it,__"_ She murmured, _"__I__ couldn__'__t__ live__ with __it__ any __more, __not__ now__ I__ know__ the__ truth...__"_

Then Alicia passed out.

Lula opened the door to her office and Gadget went inside quickly and carefully laid Alicia down on the couch.

Gadget looked at Lula and in that moment she knew for sure that Alicia's feelings were _not_ one sided - Gadget loved her; she could see real fear in his eyes as he knelt beside the unconscious woman.

"Will she be okay?" He asked her anxiously.

Lula nodded.

"I'll clean the burn up and put a dressing on it for her. She'll be just fine."

As Lula prepared to clean up Alicia's burn she tried not to think about how much her own heart ached for Gadget - because at the end of the day his private life was none of her business – and besides, as long as he was her patient she had no right to even _think_ about getting involved with him – so she pushed those thoughts aside and began to clean up Alicia's burn.

* * *

><p>An hour later, after the burn had been treated Alicia was conscious once more and out of pain thanks to some strong pills from Lula.<p>

"I'm sorry for what I did." Alicia said quietly, "But I was thinking about how much I wanted that tattoo gone and the acid was there and I did a stupid thing. _But__ at __least__ I__ got__ rid__ of__ the __tattoo_."

Lula looked at her and wondered if maybe she had been wrong about Alicia; she had gone to extreme lengths to get rid of the mark that branded her a member of the ACR... _maybe Gadget was right about her after all..._

Alicia was sitting up on the couch now and Gadget was beside her. She leaned against him and started to cry and he put his arm around her and softly offered words of comfort.

As she watched the two of them Lula suddenly felt in the way.

"You can take her home now, she'll be okay." She told him.

As he helped Alicia stand he glanced back at Lula.

"Thanks for all your help." He said gratefully.

Lula nodded.

"No problem." She said, "But keep an eye on her – that was a _very_ extreme thing she did to herself."

"She's under a lot of stress." Gadget replied, not realising how defensive that remark had sounded as he put his arm around Alicia.

Lula walked with them to the door.

"You need to get some rest." She told Alicia, the she looked at Gadget again.

"I'll be in touch about the reconstruction in a couple of days."

Gadget nodded.

"Thanks, I'll see you soon."

And then Lula watched as he carefully led Alicia back down the corridor towards the exit.

Her heart still ached for Gadget but she reminded herself yet again that he was still her patient until the reconstruction was over – and besides her professional ethics, he was clearly involved with Alicia Mackenzie – and that meant she had no right to even _think_ about the possibility of becoming involved with him, especially not now she had brought up the subject of G2's chip...

She gave a sigh and shut the office door and guessed the flirting with Gadget would just have to stop – because all it would cost her would be heartache when all was said and done...

* * *

><p>Alicia was quiet all the way back to Gadget's house.<p>

When she got out of the Gadget mobile she seemed a little unsteady and Gadget put his arm around her again and carefully kept hold of her until they were in the house once more.

As Gadget shut the front door he looked at her angrily.

"Why the hell did you hurt yourself like that, Alicia? If you wanted that tattoo gone you could have had it removed by laser! _Why_ did you burn it out like that?"

Alicia leaned against the wall and gripped at her bandaged hand.

Tears ran from her eyes as she looked at Gadget.

"I wanted it gone! I was thinking about you and everything you've been through and how much I love you –"

She gave a sob.

"_And I couldn't have that thing inked into my skin any more!"_

Gadget gave a sigh.

"I just wish you hadn't hurt yourself like that!"

Alicia still looked pale.

"It made sense to me." She told him, _"I don't deserve any sympathy."_

Gadget's eyes filled with compassion as he heard what she said.

"Of course you do! Now I think you should go upstairs and lie down; Lula was right, you need to rest."

Suddenly Brain was racing into the house. He yapped and jumped up and down as he looked up at Gadget.

"Calm down, boy!" Gadget told him.

But the dog still barked.

His master looked down at him.

"Not now, Brain! Alicia's hurt herself, she needs to lie down – and she needs it quiet around here!"

The dog sat down and looked up at Gadget, then looked at the garden, then back at Gadget once more.

"Will you stop that?" Gadget exclaimed, "I _know_ you've missed me, but it's been a difficult day and I really need to take care of Alicia."

Brain whined.

"Not now." Gadget told him, then he put his arm around Alicia and helped her up the stairs.

Brain watched as they went up the stairway.

_He thought about it._

Then he decided there was only one way to deal with this: He would just have to dig up that disc that seemed to be so important and go upstairs and drop it onto the bed, even _if_ Gadget was busy wrapping his long arms around and around Alicia and doing that _kiss __kiss__ kiss_ thing that humans did, even _if_ Gadget yelled at him for bringing mud into the bedroom – he _had_ to get that disc to his master!

He ran towards the garden.

_Suddenly, he wasn't going anywhere – he was being lifted up._

Penny smiled at him and gave him a hug.

"Hi Brain!" She said warmly, "I've come to take you home with me for a few days, isn't that great?"

And then, still holding Brain in her arms, Penny walked into the house and called to her Uncle Gadget.

Brain struggled in her arms but Penny just mistook that for excited wriggling and she hugged him even tighter.

"I love having you stay over, Brain." Penny told him, "I miss you so much when you're not around."

She was still holding Brain in her arms as Gadget came down the stairs.

Penny smiled.

"Hi Uncle Gadget – I just thought I'd come over and pick Brain up – it's my turn to have him for a few days, remember?"

Gadget nodded.

Penny noticed a worried look that was clouding his eyes.

"What's the matter?"

Then her voice hardened as she jumped to her own conclusion:

"_Has Alicia done something to upset you?"_

Gadget kept his voice low.

"She's upstairs, she's resting. She removed her ACR tattoo. _She __burned __it__ off__ her__ hand__ with__ acid_."

Penny stared at him in disbelief.

"She poured acid on her own hand? Why would she do that, is she _totally_ crazy?"

Gadget let that remark go; Penny didn't truly know Alicia yet, certainly not enough to understand her- but he felt sure when she did, she would change her mind about her...

"No." He replied, "She's not crazy. She's just extremely sorry that she ever got involved with her father's organisation. She wanted to wipe out the last reminder of it."

As Penny looked into her Uncle's eyes she saw so much optimism there, so much of a need to see the good in people and she desperately hoped he was right about Alicia.

"Maybe you're right, I hope you are."

Then Penny swiftly changed the subject, giving Brain another hug as he tried in vain to leap free from her arms.

"I'd better get going. I'll call you later."

He looked at his niece and smiled as he thought what good timing this visit was – he was due to have the reconstruction any day now and with her taking Brain off his hands for a few days, he wouldn't have to ask her to take care of him.

He still hadn't decided what to do about Alicia- he knew he couldn't ask Max because that would _definitely_ make Penny suspicious... so he was considering leaving Alicia here at home. It was only for a day, the treatment was simple and the recovery was rapid- he would be gone in the morning and back by nightfall. _Surely nothing could happen to her if he left her alone in the house for just one day?_

Gadget kissed Penny's cheek and then patted Brain, who struggled again to get free.

Penny laughed.

"Oh Brain!" She exclaimed, "You're so happy to see me today!"

And Brain could only look back at Gadget as Penny carried him out of the house and put him into her car.

Moments later Penny was driving off.

Gadget waved to her and laughed as he saw Brain leap up from the seat, pressing his paws against the closed widow as the car moved off.

"See you soon Brain!" He called out.

Then Gadget went back into the house and went upstairs.

Alicia was sleeping and he sat down beside her carefully, not wanting to wake her.

He watched her sleeping for a moment and then he gently took hold of her bandaged hand and kissed it, wishing he had been there to stop her from using the acid but feeling so thankful her injuries had not been much, much worse...

* * *

><p>While Alicia slept Gadget lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling; late afternoon was turning to evening, he didn't need to look at the clock because he was watching the shadows move slowly across the room. It reminded him how fast time slipped away – if he closed his eyes he could picture himself back in the days before he was Gadget, back in the other life he once had as an ordinary guy - then everything had changed in a split second that went <em>Boom.<em>..

If he thought about it too sharply the force and the deafening blast of the explosion still had the power to shake his bones.

_A lot of thoughts had run through his mind after that – his mind had been pushed to the very brink of insanity when he woke up in a cyborg body._

_Then the worst realisation of all had come when he found out just how much of his body had been maimed by that blast and the thoughts had run through his head that still made his heart ache even to this day: _

_He would never make love again. He would never be able to father children... that had to be the worst of the worst of everything..._

Gadget blinked away tears that had stung his vision sharply and he pushed away memories that threatened to smother him if they came any closer.

He thought about the reconstruction and he smiled; he had spent so many years trying not to think about what the had lost but now he was thinking about how he would feel when the procedure was over – he had never imagined he could have his body rebuilt like that and right now the thought of it seemed like nothing less than a miracle.

He turned his head and looked at Alicia as she lay sleeping. He imagined making love to her and suddenly the smile faded from his face as he was struck by a strange thought: What if he didn't _really_ love her? He knew he felt some kind of love for her, but what if he didn't love her _enough?_

He knew she wasn't G2.

_No one could ever replace her._

Gadget closed his eyes and recalled the way she had been laughing and talking with Penny on the last day of her life:

_Then __he__ had__ sat__ down __on __the __sofa __and__ put__ his__ arm__ around __his __wife_. _He__ knew__ he__ had__ kissed__ her__ but__ he__ still__ couldn__'__t __recall __if__ it__ had__ been__ once__ or__ twice.__ She__ had__ turned__ to__ say__ something __to__ him__ and__ blinked,__ then__ her __body__ had__ started__ to__ shake.__ She__ was __in__ his__ arms__ and__ trembling__ and__ he__ was__ saying__ her__ name __over__ and__ over __as__ the __light__ sparked __out __in__ her__ bright__ blue__ eyes._

_He was still shaking her and calling her name as Penny stood there crying, asking what was wrong, asking what had happened..._

_He had known she was gone. _

_But he had held her in his arms for several hours before he could bear to let go..._

Gadget gave a sigh and blinked away more tears as he wished he could stop thinking about everything he had lost – G2 was gone.

He looked at Alicia sleeping beside him and wished he could love her as much as he had loved his wife; _but he couldn't._

He wiped his eyes and took in a deep breath, telling himself that _maybe_ he did love Alicia as much as G2; perhaps these things took time. He was certain that he _wanted _to love her, he was going to _try_ and make it happen...

_But his thoughts were still with his late wife._

G2 was in the Gadget crypt in a coffin that opened with a key. Because she was an android, she would never decay. The upper section of the coffin was made of glass and he could easily lift the lid and touch her face and speak to her – and there had been many times in the past when he had done that...

Penny didn't know how often he went to the cemetary - he didn't tell her because he knew she would worry, because she wanted him to move on and to be happy. But Penny still missed her too, he knew it because there had been times when she had cried over her, looked at her picture and said she wished things could have been different.

When he had married G2 Penny had felt like she had a brand new family.

_It just wasn't fair that their happiness had only lasted for three short years..._

Alicia stirred in her sleep and reached for him but Gadget got up and quietly left the room.

Then the phone rang and he quickly extended an arm to grab it before the sound woke Alicia.

"Gadget." He stated.

"Hi Gadget." Said Chief Quimby.

Gadget gave a sigh; Quimby was _still_ in his sympathetic mode and he really didn't want any more conversations with him about his _new__ gadget..._

"Hi Chief." He replied, wondering what was coming next...

"I just thought I'd call you to let you know I looked into your procedure." He informed him, "I just wanted to make sure you know what to expect. I sent you an email. Did you read it?"

Gadget gave a sigh.

"No I've been busy." He said, hoping it would never get back to his boss that the woman he was supposed to be guarding had managed to burn off her tattoo with acid while his back was turned...

"Well you need to make the time to read it, I got the details from Lula and sent them on to you – just so you know what to expect. _I__ must__ say __I__'__ve__ seen__ the__ simulation __of __the __end__ result__ and __I__ think__ you__'__ll__ be __impressed._ I was very happy for you when I checked through the plans. You'll be very pleased with your um..._ gadget_, Gadget-"

He was sure his face was turning scarlet even though the Chief was far away on the other end of the phone..._ Quimby__ had__ checked__ out __the__ images__ of __his __reconstructive__ work?_

All of a sudden he felt sure he preferred the Chief red faced and boiling over with rage, yelling at him every time he had a glitch... _anything_ was better than this overly sympathetic guy who was invading his privacy and not even realising he was doing it... Since Quimby found out about his reconstructive work he had stopped treating him as _Gadget the machine_ and suddenly he was thinking of him as _Gadget the man_ and that was strange enough to deal with, but he didn't need this and he couldn't think of an excuse to get off the phone...

"I'm so glad this is happening for you." Quimby was saying, "And I'll call you as soon as you've had the surgery, just to make sure you're okay."

Gadget opened his mouth to speak but his boss _still_ hadn't finished talking.

"It must have been so difficult for you, I mean just living your life every day – and I don't know how the hell you managed to have relationships with women... if that had happened to me I think I would have _shot_ myself, know what I mean? You really have my admiration Gadget. You're a very tough guy to cope with what you've been through..."

"Chief, I have to go." Gadget said quickly, "I'm...um...busy with dinner."

"Oh I'd better let you go then. Remember I'll call you –"

"Thanks, Chief. _Bye_."

Gadget put the phone down and gave a huge sigh of relief; he had thought for a moment he would _never_ get rid of the guy...

Then he went back into the bedroom and grabbed his laptop.

He sat back down on the bed next to Alicia who was still sleeping and opened Quimby's email

He cringed as he read the chief's message:

'_Here are the details about the procedure – and there's some good images of your new 'gadget'. I think you'll be impressed!'_

Gadget opened the attached documents and started to read.

Then he checked out the images. And then he smiled.

_"Wowser..."_ He said quietly, feeling mildly surprised that everything looked so human.

Then he noticed the aspects that were less so and carried on looking at the screen.

Alicia turned over and gave a groan as the back of her hand throbbed for a moment then she opened her eyes.

Gadget was sitting next to her and he was looking down at her.

"How do you feel?" He asked her.

She glanced at her bandaged hand.

"Sore." She replied,"But I'll live. I'm still glad I did it."

Then she sat up and looked at the open laptop.

"What are you doing?" She wondered.

Gadget ran back over the email.

"It's about the reconstructive procedure. I don't understand some of the technical stuff- it reads like instructions for a flat pack cabinet - I never was good with assembling pieces- I still can't do it right, even with all my gadgets!"

Alicia laughed.

"How much of it do you understand?"

"It's better if I show you." He told her.

Then he opened up an image and Alicia looked at it.

"It's not quite what I was hoping for." He admitted, "But at least everything looks human. It just works slightly different to how I expected it to work."

Alicia studied the picture.

"It looks just fine to me." She told him, then she looked at the image again.

"What's that?" She asked him, indicating to a small, thin silver pipe that ran from his hip to his groin.

"That's a connecting link." He told her, "Because of the damage I got in the explosion I can't just get in the mood and have my body respond- so there's this pipe work that will go from my spine down to where it needs to be and basically when I want to get in the mood I have to manually send the message by warming up the pipe on the outside of my body – then everything else responds the way it should respond."

Gadget was still looking at the image thoughtfully.

"I wasn't expecting to need something like that – and even though it's going to heal rapidly I'll have some scars – there are a few lines that won't completely fade – I'll never be able to hide the scars, either- the tissue they use for this kind of work doesn't have follicles so there's no body hair."

Gadget was still studying the image with a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"It looks human." Alicia promised him, "And actually it looks rather _good._.."

"But I'll have these tiny little scars that won't fade..."

Alicia closed the laptop and looked into his eyes.

"And the only time anyone will ever see those scars is when you're with someone you _love_." She reminded him.

Gadget smiled.

"I know that, but I was just hoping it would be..._ perfect_, I guess that's the right word for it... I didn't want any flaws."

She put her arms around him and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Gadget," She said, "It looks fine. And you can forget about the scars. Who's going to look that close anyway? I know when I take you in my arms the scars will be the _last_ thing on my mind!"

He fell silent for a moment, feeling strangely emotional now he was so close to getting what he had wanted so badly for so long. He had just thought of something that he didn't even know if he ought to be discussing with Alicia because he didn't know how far their relationship would go in the long run – but it was on his mind, so he said it anyway.

"There's something else, it's nothing to do with the details in this document..._it__'__s __just__ about __me_."

Alicia looked at him.

"I'm listening."

Gadget gave a heavy sigh.

"I know everything will look real and feel real and work like its real – but its all reconstructed tissue. I won't be able to father children."

"Are you sure? Did Lula tell you that?"

"No," He replied, "I didn't need to ask her. I _know_ what I lost in the explosion, Alicia. So if you stay with me I want you to understand there's no chance of having a family."

Alicia looked back at him with nothing but love in her eyes.

"I don't care about that." She said softly, "I love you, Gadget."

As he hugged her he felt it again; there was a flicker of doubt in his mind and he didn't know what to put it down to. He was starting to wonder if he was trying too hard to love her because right now she was the only woman who loved him, the only woman who wanted to be with him... or maybe he was just feeling insecure.

As he settled back on the bed with his arms around her he closed his eyes and decided tomorrow he would leave Alicia at home and take a drive in Gadget mobile; he was going up to the cemetary because right now the _only_ person he wanted to be close to was G2...

_As soon as he made that decision all his worries slipped away and Gadget finally managed to fall asleep._

* * *

><p>Next morning he got up early and told Alicia he had to go to the Police Department to sign some paperwork.<p>

He felt guilty for lying to her and even worse for leaving her alone when he was meant to be guarding her, but this was something he had to do by himself.

As he got out of Gadget mobile and stepped through the gates of Riverton Cemetary he suddenly wished Penny hadn't taken Brain home with her; he usually brought his dog along for company when he came up here, although he locked him in Gadget mobile because dogs and bones and graves did _not_ make a good combination...

He unlocked the gate to the crypt that said _Gadget_ and then opened the door and walked down a flight of steps and switched on the light.

He took a chair from the back of the room and placed it beside the coffin.

He paused for a moment to look at her through the glass; G2 was lying there as if she was sleeping and even though it had been seven years, he still half expected her to open her eyes every time he came to see her.

Gadget unlocked the top half of the coffin and lifted the lid back.

"Hi G2." He said quietly, "I still miss you, sleeping beauty."

And he leaned over her and gently kissed her cheek.

Then Gadget got comfortable on the seat and looked at her face.

"Oh I don't know where to start." He said aloud, "I'm having a reconstruction soon – you would have been thrilled, you always did have a fondness for human anatomy! But I just don't know why I feel so unhappy. I've been seeing this woman – I'm supposed to be guarding her but it's gone beyond that and I know I don't love her the way I love you. I don't think I can love anyone the way I love you, G2."

Then he thought about what Lula had said about the chip.

"The scientist who's doing my reconstruction is working on a project to create a new kind of hybrid cyborg. She wants me to let her have your chip so they can try and make one for this new life form... it's alive already but it doesn't have a chance of staying that way unless they can fix the glitch that killed you. I don't want anyone taking you apart, even if they put you back together again afterwards. I don't want anyone to touch you, honey. But I think..."

Gadget paused as he studied her serene expression; he swept his hand over her hair and looked lovingly at her face as he recalled every single moment they had ever shared together.

"I think," He said quietly, "That if you could have a say in this you would want to help. And that's why I'm thinking about letting her have your chip. I hope you understand, G2. And I _do_ love you, I'll never love again, not the way I loved you – it just can't happen for me, I know that..."

Then he gave a sigh.

"I miss you so much." He told her.

Then he sat beside her a while longer, feeling not quite so alone in this world simply because for the time he was next to her coffin, he could be by her side once more.

* * *

><p>Laura Riley paced the floor of the reprocessing plant as she waited for her husband to return.<p>

She hated this place; it was bad enough at night, but being alone here even in daylight gave her the creeps... she looked at the separation machine and shivered.

It had been so different back in the old days, with Victor's men feeding a screaming man through the machinery then pulling him out before the jaws had finished their work, just to demonstrate the power of the machine...

_Their victim had been a high profile criminal, so sure of himself that he believed an organisation like the ACR wanted to forge a bond with him...as if Victor would have welcomed a cyborg into the fold... But he had come alone to the meeting and been fed through the machine, by the time they pulled him out bleeding and mangled with his artificial hand crushed he was a screaming lunatic...they had left him to die._

_Someone must have disposed of the body – one of Mackenzie's men must have dumped it – there was no other explanation as to how it disappeared..._

Laura shivered and checked the time and wished she had gone with her husband, even though he was only making a simple run to buy some food to keep them going in here for a little while longer...

She knew she had to stop thinking about ghosts of the past and turn her mind to the practical - such as, how the hell would she explain that she had lost that disc that Jason had told her to hang on to? She knew she had it at Gadget's house... maybe it was still there.

But she knew it wouldn't matter soon because they were planning to make a move, to wait for Alicia to be left alone and then it would be easy – _go in, put a bullet in her head and the problem was solved..._

Then she heard a sound, it was the slightest of movements and it sent her heart racing wildly as she broke out in a sweat.

She didn't even have the gun; Jason had taken it with him because after the night she fired into the darkness he had thought her too jumpy to carry a firearm...

_She backed away from the machine - and screamed as she walked smack into a person standing behind her_.

Her next scream was choked off by a mechanical grip that held her by the throat.

He breathed against her neck.

"_You should have learned to fire a gun properly, Mrs Riley. But you missed me." _

She drew in a strangled breath as her eyes took on a look of horror as the rasping voice spoke again:

"Yes, indeed I am not a ghost. I live by the shadows of night in this forsaken place but I assure you I am _not_ dead."

Then he gave her throat a squeeze that made her see stars and threw her backwards with force.

She hit the wall and sank to the floor as blood ran from her nose.

He was draped in a black cape and a large hat shielded his face but as he came closer and raised his face she saw the light briefly shine on scarred features.

She saw the same light reflect off the metal pincers where his hand should have been.

She caught the look in his eyes and knew for sure that if he hadn't been totally insane before they put his through the machine, he _certainly_ was now...

He laughed darkly and raised his other hand, taking a bite from a dead mouse and pausing to chew before swallowing and looking down at the woman who was so paralysed by fear she was unable to stand, let alone try and run.

"_Your __people__ tried__ to __kill__ me!__"_ He raged, "I should kill you _and_ your husband for that!"

For a moment his breathing became heavy, then it slowed as he thought about it.

"But I want more than swift satisfaction for what the ACR did to me, Mrs Riley... I've been watching in the shadows I _know_ you need the Mackenzie woman dead. _I __also __know__ you __have __a __little__ problem __with __Inspector __Gadget..._"

He leaned closer to her and Laura turned her face away, sobbing as his pincers snapped and snapped again, so close to her face that it brushed against her cheek.

_"What do you want from me?"_ She demanded in a frightened voice.

He smiled.

"A deal, Mrs Riley. I will help you deal with the Inspector – thus rendering Alicia Mackenzie defenceless...and I _may_ even allow you and your husband to live... as long as we have an understanding. _Do we have an understanding, Mrs Riley?_"

She gave anther sob and nodded her head, turning her face away as he leaned even closer.

"That was _yes?_" He asked her.

She nodded again.

"I'll do whatever you want!" She said in terror, "But please don't kill me - _yes,__ we __have__ a__ deal,__ Claw_..."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jason Riley would have put a bullet through the head of the crazy man in the dark suit who was wrapped in a dirty old cape – he would have fired a single shot and hit him square between his crazy eyes – he would have done it as soon as he walked through the door of the plant, but Claw had Laura by the throat and if he squeezed his pincer any tighter her windpipe would have been crushed.

_"Drop the gun."_ Claw said calmly.

Jason clung to the weapon for a split second longer, then he saw the shining pincers squeeze a fraction tighter and his wife's face began to turn blue.

"Okay!" He said sharply, placing the weapon on the floor and sliding it over to Claw, who smiled and loosened his grip on Laura's throat just enough to allow her to suck in some air.

"This," Claw mused, "Is _most_ ironic- I was once fed like a piece of meat through that machine your people built – and look at you now, where _is_ your great army? Scattered to the wind and your leader is dead and his generals are in prison! Not much of an organisation, is it? But at least I have you and your wife and if you want to live I _strongly_ suggest you accept my generous opportunity."

Jason was looking at the crazy man who used to be the biggest criminal in Riverton and he was wondering how the hell he had survived for all these years – he was sure he would have died after they put him through that machine- but no, he was very much alive and something came from his presence that made Jason wonder if evil had a power that could transcend death – whatever it was, this man certainly had it and he knew when it was wise not to put up a fight; _Claw meant everything he said and he would kill Laura in a heartbeat if it pleased him to do so..._

"What do you want from us?" Jason demanded.

Claw toyed with the pressure of his pincers and laughed as Laura gasped for air.

"I see an opportunity that can be to the advantage of all of us. You want Alicia Mackenzie - but Inspector Gadget will not give her up without a fight and that fight is one you will most certainly lose without my help. I propose that we work together –_ you get the Mackenzie woman and I get to see Inspector Gadget find out exactly how it feels to be taken apart by the separation machine_."

As Claw kept hold of Laura he loosened his grip on her throat again and laughed.

"You wife has already agreed to my terms. And to make sure you also agree, I'm holding on to her – just to make sure you can be trusted."

_"Jason,"_ Laura said in a hoarse voice, _"Please, just give him what he wants!"_

He looked at the man who held his wife captive.

"What do I have to do?" He asked him in a hushed voice.

Claw smiled.

"Inspector Gadget has a _fine_ arsenal of weaponry built into his cyborg body but he has one weakness... and we shall use that weakness to our advantage! You must find his niece Penny. Abduct her and bring her here to the plant. Tell Gadget we want a simple exchange – Alicia for Penny. When he turns up here he'll be shocked with the stun gun and fed through the separation device while his niece watches everything. _And as for the Mackenzie woman – I don't care what you do with her as long as I see Gadget destroyed!_"

"It's a deal." Jason said, breaking out into a sweat as Claw picked up the gun and kept it trained on him as he backed off into the shadows, dragging Laura with him.

As she started to scream her husband thought about running in there after her – but he knew if he did that she would be dead before he got a chance to even get close.

He thought about everything Claw had said and felt as if the room was closing in on him as he heard her scream again in the distance, somewhere deep in reprocessing plant... the tables had turned so quickly and all he knew was that he had one choice to make - _work with Claw or lose Laura._

He thought about what he had been asked to do.

_"It's a deal."_ He murmured quietly, _"I'll get you Gadget's niece..."_

And as he said those words he decided; _As soon as he had Laura back safely, Claw was a dead man..._

* * *

><p>When the phone rang early the next morning, Gadget was still feeling half asleep as he extended his arm and grabbed the phone and lazily wound it back to his ear.<p>

"Gadget." He said in a tired voice.

Then Lula told him she was ready to schedule his reconstruction and suddenly he felt wide awake.

He spoke to her briefly and then put the phone back down again.

He looked at Alicia who was sleeping beside him and made up his mind that she would be just fine left alone for a day – that was all the procedure would take, he would be rapidly recovered thanks to the upgrade and home again by nightfall...

_He had left her alone yesterday while he visited G2's resting place and everything had been okay, why should today be any different?_

She didn't wake until he was ready to leave, then he leaned over her and gently kissed her.

As her eyes fluttered open she wondered what time it was and why Gadget was up and dressed in his trench coat and hat and ready to go out.

"What's going on?" She wondered.

"I'm going over to the lab. Lula called, she told me they're ready to go ahead with the reconstruction. _I__'__ll__ see__ you __tonight_."

He turned to leave and she caught hold of his hand, making him turn back to her.

"Hold on a minute!" She exclaimed, "You're just going to walk out the door and go through all that on your _own?_ Don't you want me to come with you?"

Gadget suddenly felt awkward as he looked at her.

"No, I _need_ to be alone to do this."

Alicia stared at him.

"But after everything that went wrong when you had the upgrade –"

"There's no risk involved this time."

"_You're not scared?"_

Gadget paused as he tried to define how he felt - it was something he couldn't put into words and nothing he could share with her, either. He wasn't scared, he knew there was no risk this time - but it had just started to dawn on him that he wasn't entirely _sure_ about this all of a sudden...

"I'll be fine." He told her, forcing himself to smile as Alicia looked at him with confusion in her eyes, "I need you to stay here. Don't answer the door to anyone. And don't answer the phone, either. I'll be back tonight."

She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly kissed her and then turned away and walked out of the room.

He went down the stairs and reached the front door and paused, still feeling a doubt nagging at him that he couldn't make sense of. Then he left the house and got into the Gadget mobile and drove off.

* * *

><p>As he drove along the road, Gadget mobile started to talk.<p>

"What's the matter with you today, Gadget? You haven't said a word for the last three miles! I know it's not me, I haven't upset you... I'm starting to worry and when I worry I can't think straight – not when it's about _you_."

And the car pulled over to the side of the quiet road and turned off the engine.

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Stop it, Gadget mobile! Just get me to the lab, please?"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong! If you don't start talking I ain't goin' _nowhere_ unless it's by tow truck!"

Gadget gripped the wheel and gave another sigh as he looked out across the fields that surrounded them. Everything was so peaceful, so silent and he felt as if he had space to think at last.

"You know I'm part machine, right?"

"Sure I do." Replied the car.

"Well I'm also part machine in a place where a guy really doesn't _want_ to be machine, if you get what I mean."

"I never knew that..." Gadget mobile thought about it. Then the car spoke up again. "So you mean this _new__ gadget_ you're getting..."

"Right." Gadget replied, "I'm supposed to be having the reconstruction today - I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not sure I want to go through with it. I thought I did but I keep thinking about all the years I've got used to being just how I am – and I've always been just fine like this, haven't I?"

"I get what you mean." The car replied, "And to be fair, I have to say it's never stopped you getting girlfriends... Do you want to do it? Do you want to get used to change all over again? Is that why you're worried, you think it's a lot to get used to?"

Gadget frowned.

"I don't know. I'm not a hundred percent sure because I don't know how I'll feel..."

He stopped right there and fell silent.

Gadget mobile thought about everything he had just said.

"How does the upgrade feel?"

"Human." Gadget replied, "Skin, metal – I can feel everything."

The car laughed.

"Then what are you waiting for, Gadget? _Think_ about this – it's not something you're likely to regret, is it!"

Gadget started to smile. He gripped the wheel a little tighter.

"I'm nervous as hell about this!"

The car spoke up again.

"Okay, I'll only ask you once: _Do __I__ start__ up__ the __engine__ and__ head __over__ to __the__ lab,__ or__ do __we__ turn__ around__ and __go __home?_"

His conversation with Gadget mobile had made up his mind.

"Let's go to the lab." He replied.

The car fired up its engine and they drove off once more.

* * *

><p>By the time Gadget reached the lab he was feeling a little better about his decision – but as soon as he walked through the building and headed to the cybernetics department, the walk down to the lab seemed a very long and lonely one.<p>

When Lula came out of her office she greeted him with a smile and wished she could just hug him because Gadget managed to smile back at her but he couldn't disguise the fact that he was _still_ feeling nervous as hell.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

Gadget hesitated for a moment.

"I'm not sure, Lula." He admitted quietly, "I _think_ I want to do this but then I start to wonder if maybe I should wait a while because I'm not sure..."

He had tried to say it carefully, knowing about the time and money that had gone into planning his procedure. He wasn't sure how she would take his remark – but she looked at him with understanding in her eyes.

"What's the matter, Gadget? What is it you're not sure about? If you need time to think about it that's fine - is that what you want to do?"

Gadget gave a sigh.

"No, I don't need to think about it. I'm just worried that when it's done it might not even_ feel_ like a part of me, if that makes sense."

He looked into her eyes, desperately hoping for reassurance.

_"But I'm wrong, please tell me I'm wrong about that..."_

Lula gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"Gadget," She said, "Everything will be just fine. Everything will feel normal, I promise you that. So would you like to wait a while longer? You don't have to do this today, not if you're not ready."

Gadget had made up his mind.

"I don't think I'll _ever_ be ready to go through something like this." He told her honestly, "But I'm not backing out. I'll have the procedure today."

"Are you sure?"

Gadget nodded.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He replied.

Lula led him through to a private room that he recognized at once – he had stayed here when he had the upgrade.

He paused in the doorway and felt another flicker of doubt.

"Just get undressed and I'll get you ready for surgery." She told him.

Gadget was still looking around the room, recalling how close everything had come to going wrong last time he was here...

Lula gently touched his arm.

"It _will_ be okay." She promised him.

Gadget walked over to the bed and realised his hands were shaking as he took off his hat and trench coat.

He glanced at Lula and forced a smile.

"I'm okay now, I'm not worried."

Then he turned and saw a tray partly uncovered near the bed; he saw a syringe and he saw an automatic screwdriver and he caught his breath and as his hand shot out from his wrist to shove it away he quickly pulled it back and steadied himself as he broke out in a sweat and tried to breathe.

"Sorry..." He said breathlessly, "That was a glitch..."

Then he sat down heavily on the bed and tried to get his breathing back under control.

Lula pulled the cover over the tray and then sat down beside him and took hold of his shaking hand.

"Switch it off." She said calmly, "You can't control your glitches while you're so worked up."

He took in an unsteady breath.

_"Gadget mode off."_ He whispered and the message blinked behind his eye to confirm it.

Then he looked at Lula and blinked away tears.

"Sorry I'm so worked up, but I hate needles! And no one is touching me there with a screwdriver!"

Suddenly he wasn't so sure if he could deal with this.

_"I don't think I can go through with it."_ He told her.

Lula kept hold of his hand.

He was still shaking but he was slowly calming down and she was sure she could make him feel better about everything if he listened to her.

"I think the main reason you went through with the upgrade is because you wanted the reconstruction, am I right?"

Gadget nodded.

"So think about this," She told him, "You know it's a safe procedure, I understand how you feel because this is a lot for you to deal with emotionally - but it will be over by tonight and you'll be home and feeling glad you did this. Am I right? Because I know you're scared but I think you want this so very much and I don't want you to change your mind and then regret your decision."

Gadget looked at her.

"I _do_ want to go through with it." He told her, "But I just can't explain how I feel right now."

Lula gave him a hug.

"Everything will be okay." She promised him, "I'll give you a single injection in your arm and it will put you to sleep. When you wake up it will all be over. You'll heal rapidly because of the upgrade and by tonight you'll be back home with your girlfriend."

Gadget thought about everything she had just said and started to wish he hadn't decided to do this alone – _but the one person he needed right now couldn't be with him, because G2 was dead..._

He drew in another breath and began to feel in control once more.

"Okay." He said quietly, "I'm ready now;_ I'll do it_."

He started to unbutton his shirt.

Lula stood beside him and as he undressed she took his clothing and hung it up in a closet on the other side of the room.

Then Gadget lay back on the bed and closed his eyes as Lula covered drew a sheet up to his hips.

"I'm going to inject you now." She told him, "Just keep your eyes closed."

"I will." Gadget said, screwing his eyes shut tighter as he waited for the needle.

Suddenly he couldn't wait any longer and he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"My new skin has a lot of nerve endings. I'm going to feel this..."

"No, it's just a little sting..."

As she spoke he felt a brief, sharp pain as the point of the needle broke his skin, then it seemed to burn for a split second and he blinked as the world turned blurry and he tried to focus on Lula.

"It's not that I don't want this – I do...I just want everything turn out okay..."

"I know," She said softly, "And it will be okay Gadget. Just close your eyes..."

He could feel the sedative dragging him under.

_"I just want everything to be like it used to be."_ He murmured, then darkness closed in and he slid into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Alicia was in the front room sitting in silence; she had tried to distract herself for several hours but no matter what she did she couldn't stop thinking about Gadget.<p>

Now and then she glanced at the picture on the wall of Gadget on his wedding day; she studied the face of the bride in his arms as they embraced under a shower of confetti and felt sure G2 would have been a great source of strength to him at a time like this – she _certainly_ would have ignored what he said about waiting at home, she would have been there at his side when he woke up...

But she had no choice but to stay put because he was supposed to be guarding her and he couldn't have told anyone in case it got back to his niece, he just didn't want Penny to know , especially not after his upgrade had proved to be so dangerous...

Finally, as the hours ticked by, the waiting got too much and Alicia picked up the phone and called the lab.

She felt a little better for being told that someone would get back to her as soon as they knew how he was doing.

Then Alicia looked at the clock again and gave a sigh and wondered how long it would take for that phone call to come...

_While she was waiting for the call there was a knock at the door._

Alicia froze, recalling Gadget's advice not to answer the door while he was away.

There was another knock.

"Uncle Gadget?" Called Penny.

Alicia stood by the doorway and waited for her to go away.

_But Penny didn't go away._

She called out to her Uncle a third time and then took out a key, unlocked the door and let herself into the house.

Penny closed the door behind her and walked up the hallway.

Then she stared at Alicia.

"Alicia," She said coldly, "Where's my Uncle?"

"He's not here right now. He had to go out for a little while. I think it was police business."

Penny had picked up on it at once; Alicia was nervous as hell and it wasn't just because she knew how much she disliked her – _she was lying about something..._

"I just stopped by to pick up some doggy toys for Brain – he's been really cranky since I took him home with me, I don't know why."

And Penny pushed past her and walked into the front room and sat down in Gadget's favourite armchair.

Alicia sat nervously on the sofa and looked at her, saying nothing.

Penny smiled.

"I think I'll just sit here for a while and wait for my Uncle to come back. _I'm sure he won't be gone long, he's not supposed to leave you alone, is he?_"

There was clear suspicion in her voice and it was there in her eyes too as Penny looked at her.

Then the phone rang.

Alicia jumped up, but Penny was right beside it so she grabbed the call.

"Hello." She said, expecting to hear her Uncle's voice.

At first she had a smile on her face- but that smile swiftly faded.

_"The lab?"_ She said in confusion, _"What's this about?"_

Penny listened to the caller and then took in a sharp breath.

"What the _hell_ do you mean he's doing just fine and he's been in surgery for over four hours? _Why, what's wrong with him?_"

She listened again.

_"Okay."_ She said as her voice choked up tearfully, _"I'll be over to see him as soon as possible._"

Then she put the phone down and glared at Alicia.

"_Why_ is my Uncle having another procedure?" She demanded, "The upgrade almost _killed_ him! What's so important that he has to have another operation?"

Alicia realised there was no way around this now – she would _have_ to tell her the truth...

"He's not in danger. The upgrade's completed so any other work he has done is a hundred percent safe, please try and remember that. And he _wanted_ this so very much, Penny -_ but he just couldn't tell you about it._"

Penny blinked away tears as she glared at Alicia and felt sure she had never hated anyone in her life as much as she hated that woman right now at this moment...

"He could tell _you_ about it but not _me?_"

Alicia sighed.

"No, it's not like that – you're his niece, he didn't want you to know about this, you didn't need to know. That was how he felt about it. He's having a cosmetic procedure. It's a reconstruction."

Penny blinked.

"_A what?_ Why the hell would he need anything reconstructed, he's just fine as he is!"

As Alicia looked at her she wished she didn't have to be the one to tell her because she knew how much Penny disliked her – but she needed answers and there was no easy way to spell it out.

"Penny, "She said, "When your Uncle was in the explosion he had some terrible injuries. At the time some of them couldn't be repaired but technology has come a long way since then. He's having a pelvic reconstruction – he's having _everything_ reconstructed. It's not the kind of thing he ever would have told you about. But it _is_ the kind of thing he would have discussed with his wife or with a girlfriend. He just wants to have a proper love life, he wanted to be able to do the kind of thing other guys can do, it's all he's wanted for so long, Penny."

As her words sunk in Penny blinked and wiped tears from her face.

"That's what all this is about? He had the upgrade so he could have this procedure?"

Alicia nodded.

"That was his main reason for doing it."

Penny was still tearful as she thought about her Uncle Gadget.

"I never thought about that side of things for him, I just didn't think about it." She said honestly.

"Of course you didn't, you're his niece. He didn't want you to know, he didn't want to discuss it with you and he _definitely_ didn't want to worry you."

_Penny fell silent for a moment, recalling her childhood with her Uncle who had amazing gadgets...she had never thought about what had actually happened to his very human body when the car had exploded..._

She got up and wiped her eyes again.

"I'm going over to the lab," She said, "I want to be there for him when he wakes up."

Then Penny gave a sharp sob as she looked angrily at Alicia.

_"How can you pretend to love him? You don't love him at all! If you did you'd be at the lab waiting for him, you'd be there when he woke up to hold his hand if he was hurting!"_

Alicia guessed she had caused enough trouble by making that call to the lab in the first place – if not for the phone call, Penny _never_ would have found out the truth...

"He's absolutely fine, Penny! He's had the upgrade, he'll be fully recovered in two hours - he's back home tonight! And he asked me to wait here for him and that's what I'm going to do."

"I don't care how safe this procedure is – I want to be there for him and that's what I'm going to do!" Penny told her sharply, _"I'm going over to the lab right now."_

And she turned and walked out of the room.

Moments later the front door slammed shut.

Alicia hoped he would understand that she had tried to keep everything secret, but it just hadn't worked out that way...

_"Sorry Gadget."_ She whispered as she sat alone in the house and waited for him to come home, hoping he would forgive her mistake.

* * *

><p>It seemed like a few seconds since he had closed his eyes.<p>

Gadget opened his eyes again just as Lula put another blanket on his bed and drew the covers up to his shoulders.

He looked up at Lula and wondered if he needed another injection because the first one hadn't knocked him out because he was wide awake now...

"I _do_ want to do this." He said in a tired voice, _"But it's a very big deal to me...I don't want it to go wrong..."_

Lula smiled.

"Gadget," She said softly, "It's_ over._ You've had the procedure and it was a complete success."

He looked up at her feeling confused.

"I don't remember falling asleep."

"That was eight hours ago." She told him, "You just need to rest for a couple more hours and you'll be fully healed and ready to go home."

Then she gently disconnected some wires from his temple and switched off a machine.

As Gadget looked around and saw how _much_ equipment surrounded him he felt a flicker of alarm.

"What's with the life support? Did something go wrong?"

"No, it's just equipment to monitor all your vital signs. You didn't need it but I promised I'd check everything all the time and take extra special care of you."

"Who made you do that?" He wondered.

She gave a weary sigh.

"Chief Quimby. He was very worried about you because of what happened last time – he made me promise to monitor you all the time while you were unconscious. I'd better call him in a minute and let him know you're okay – otherwise he'll be calling me _again!_ You're lucky to have a boss who cares about you so much, Gadget."

He felt strangely moved by her words to think the Chief actually _cared_ about him – _he had never realised it before..._

"I guess I am lucky to have a boss like him." He replied, "I never knew he cared so much – he's usually yelling at me!"

"So how do you feel now?" Lula asked him.

Gadget thought about it and then he laughed.

"I've got an ache in a place where I haven't even had a _place_ for a long time!"

Lula smiled.

"You'll be feeling just fine in a couple of hours."

Then she turned to leave, but paused at the door.

"I'll be back to check you over just before you go home – and by the way, someone's waiting to see you – she's a little bit upset, she got worried about you. I told her you were just fine but she needs to see you. Can I send her in?"

Gadget guessed it had to be Alicia, and while he knew he ought to be lecturing her about how she should have stayed at home, he just didn't feel like doing that right now – he wanted to see her, he wanted her at his side...

"Yes, please do send her in, I want to see her." He replied.

Lula left the room.

Moments later the door opened – _but his visitor wasn't Alicia._

Gadget stared at Penny, wondering how the hell she found out about this.

He wanted to sit up but he was'nt ready to move just yet because he was still aching, so he just lay back on the pillows and kept on staring at her as she took a seat next to his bed.

Her eyes were red and she looked like she had been crying a lot and that made him feel guilty.

"Penny!" He said in surprise, "How did you know I was here?"

She blinked away more tears.

"Alicia called the lab to see how you were doing and they called back and I took the call."

Then as she looked at him he could see she felt hurt by his secrecy.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" She demanded, "You _know_ I was scared for you after you had the upgrade! But I would have understood if you'd explained everything about this to me."

Gadget gave a heavy sigh.

"Penny, it wasn't the kind of subject I ever wanted to talk to you about..."

She gave him a weary look.

"Don't do this to me; don't treat me like a child, Uncle Gadget! _I'm a grown woman! I'm married, I'm starting a family – I know what sex is!_ I would have understood how much you wanted this procedure!"

Gadget took hold of her hand.

"I'm sorry." He said, "But every time I look at you I still see that kid who I brought up and I can't help protecting you from things and hiding stuff like this. It's just the way I am."

And he smiled apologetically and Penny's mood brightened up as she instantly forgave him.

"So," She said, sounding much happier now, "Are you feeling okay?"

Gadget laughed.

"I will be in a couple of hours – right now feel like I've been kicked by a big horse. A big horse wearing big boots!"

And Penny laughed too. Then she looked into his eyes.

"But seriously – does it hurt a lot, do you need anything for the pain?"

Gadget relaxed as he rested on soft pillows.

"No, I'll be just fine in a couple of hours. I'll be completely recovered and ready to go home."

"Shall I wait for you?" She offered.

"No, honey – I'll be fine. I'm going home to Alicia and I'm planning to ...um... spend some time with her."

He paused, still not feeling comfortable with spelling it out to Penny.

But she had already guessed.

"You want to go home and be with Alicia. I can understand that, of course you would. I'll sit with you for a little while longer, just until you're feeling better."

"Thanks Penny." He replied, "I'm glad you're here – I wish I hadn't kept this from you."

One look in her eyes told him it was all forgotten.

"You don't have to keep secrets from me," She reminded him, "I grew up a long time ago..."

"I know that now." Gadget replied, guessing he should have told her everything because Penny was right; she had grown up a long time ago and he knew he didn't have to hide things from her any more...

Penny stayed at his side for almost two hours, then she kissed him goodbye and he caught a look in her eyes that reassured him again that all was forgiven, and then she walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Now he was alone again, Gadget cautiously tried to move and was surprised to find the pain had melted away just like Lula said it would; he didn't know why he felt surprised, for some reason he had imagined some kind of pain would linger – but there was none.<p>

He took a deep breath and wondered if he should look at the result of the reconstruction.

Gadget lifted the covers back and hesitated, wishing he could keep his gaze fixed on the ceiling above him forever because he was nervous about seeing the result of Lula's work for the first time...

_"Don't be stupid Gadget..."_ He said aloud, _"Just take a look..."_

Then he drew in a deep breath and raised his head from the pillow and looked down.

Gadget quickly put the covers back over himself again and settled back on the soft pillows with a smile on his face.

Then he thought about the connecting pipe and cautiously reached down and ran his fingertips along the metal that ran down from his hip.

A second later he got a bolt of pleasure shoot through his body much lower down, right where he should have expected it – and he laughed with relief.

He guessed if he did that a second time it would get rather embarrassing when Lula checked him over because he would be properly aroused by then... _He knew for sure he had no regrets now; everything had worked out just fine..._

A short while later Lula came back into the room.

Gadget was sitting up in bed and he greeted her with a smile.

"I take it you're feeling a lot better?" She asked him.

"I certainly am. You were right, Lula – I _am_ pleased with the result."

"Is it okay if I check you over one last time?" She asked him.

All of his anxiety was gone now; he didn't care how long she spent checking his scars were healed because he felt differently now – he felt _normal_ again.

She folded the covers back and started to carefully check the healed scars.

As he lay there Gadget laughed.

"By the way – the pipe works. I carefully touched it and I got a response."

"How quickly?" She asked him.

"Within seconds!" He exclaimed, "I wasn't expecting it to work _that_ fast!"

Lula's hand moved lower and Gadget closed his eyes for a moment, taking a slow breath.

"Is that uncomfortable?" She wondered.

He opened his eyes again.

"No, actually that feels good! So good I'm almost forgetting we have a professional relationship."

Lula finished her examination and covered him up again.

"You're fully recovered, you can go home now." She told him.

"How long before I can function properly?" He wondered.

"You're recovered." She repeated, "So you can go home to your girlfriend and do what ever you want to do."

She went over to the closet and took out his clothing and placed it on the bed.

Gadget got up and started to dress quickly.

"I can't wait to get out of here!" He exclaimed, "I'm so relieved this is over! I'm glad I did it but I'm glad it's over... Now I just want to get back to work."

And he paused to give a command:

_"Gadget mode on."_

As he buckled up his belt and then reached for his shirt he glanced at Lula.

"Thank you so much." He said to her, "I don't think I could have gone through with this if you hadn't talked to me the way you did."

Lula smiled.

"I'm happy for you." She told him.

Gadget had started to button up his shirt but he stopped as he smiled back at Lula and felt such gratitude.

"Thanks." He said warmly and stepped closer and gave her a hug.

As he pulled back and looked into her eyes he felt like saying so much more, but Alicia was waiting for him at home and he knew he ought to leave...

_"I'd better go."_ He stated, letting go of her.

Gadget buttoned up his shirt, put on his hat and trench coat and walked towards the door with Lula.

She put her hand on his arm and he looked back at her.

"You probably won't need any advice about anything but if you do –"

"Sure, I'll give you a call."

Lula smiled hopefully as she felt an ache in her heart to think he was walking away again.

Then as Gadget placed his hand on the door knob he turned back to her.

"So if I'm in the mood to um..._you know_... I just say..."

"Gadget mode off." She reminded him.

He smiled and looked back at the closed door, still wondering if he ought to open it - or not.

"Sure, I've got it. I won't forget."

As he looked into her eyes he felt a powerful urge to kiss her, that urge had never really gone away since the first day they had met and right now he knew his emotions were all over the place but he just didn't care.

Gadget glanced back at the door.

He slid the bolt across and locked it and looked back at Lula.

Her eyes were like big, dark pools as she looked at him and her face was flushed- he didn't need to use his gadget mode to read those signs... he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

_"Gadget mode off."_ He said breathlessly, then wrapped his arms around her.

She welcomed his kiss, giving a gasp as he held her tightly; he kissed her deeply and pulled her back in the direction of the bed.

Lula broke off from their kiss and looked into his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked him, thinking about his girlfriend waiting at home.

Gadget's eyes were glazed with passion as he took hold of her hand and guided her fingertips to the pipe that was fixed below his hip. He pressed her hand against it through his clothing and shivered as pleasure hit him all over again.

_"I wanted you from the first day we met."_ He whispered, "I'm _very_ sure..."

Then Lula tumbled back onto the bed and Gadget was holding on to her.

"But what about Alicia?" She said quickly, "I don't want you to regret this."

"I _won't_ regret it! _I want you, Lula._.."

_"But Gadget..."_She whispered.

He kissed her again.

"Do you want me as much as I want you?"

_"Yes I do but Gadget –"_

As he kissed her again she responded and ran her hands over him, feeling weakened by desire now.

Gadget whispered breathlessly in her ear and his words drove her crazy, even though she knew there was something _else_ she needed to tell him, but by now he was unbuckling his belt as he kissed her again and she ached for him more than ever - so she decided this was one of those crazy times when nothing mattered but the moment and then she was running her hands over his redesigned body and he was starting to make slow, gentle love to her...

* * *

><p>Alicia had waited until it got dark and then she had slipped into a white dress that was all silk and lace and she had spent a long time putting on make up, styling her hair and then she checked her appearance in the mirror and smiled. She had wanted to look her best for him when he came home again she wanted to show him how much she loved him and most of all, she wanted to apologise for the slip up that had revealed the truth to Penny.<p>

She felt sure he would understand when he came home...

Alicia had gone out into the garden and picked roses and taken them upstairs and covered the bed in their soft petals. Candles flickered around the room and she felt sure that in this soft light Gadget wouldn't have any anxiety about his scars being so visible the first time they made love...

She opened the windows and let the gentle night air into the room, deciding to wait up here for him until his return. She had left a note on the table for him downstairs and in that note she had written down everything in her heart, everything he needed to know and he would come in, readher message and then come upstairs and take her in his arms... she had it all planned out perfectly.

_Then she looked at the time and started to worry._

It was getting really late and he ought to be home by now...

She knew the procedure must have gone okay - because the lab would have called back if there was something wrong. _But he should have been back at least half an hour ago and now it was getting later and it was growing dark outside..._

She wondered, where _was_ Gadget?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gadget's heart was beating fast and his skin was warm and damp with sweat, he felt so good he was sure the metal parts of him were feeling just the same; he felt like this all over his body and it was good and that was all he needed to be sure of.

He had almost forgotten just _how_ good it could be, but Lula was warm too and in his arms as they lay together beneath the sheets.

She was still breathless and she wrapped her arms around him as they shared a pillow and she looked into his eyes.

"I think I can safely say you're fully recovered!" She said with a smile on her face.

Gadget laughed.

"I feel so good I can't describe it!" He exclaimed.

Then he ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her again.

"You don't know how much this means to me," He said sincerely, "This isn't about what I've been through – I _know_ how I feel about you... I know I'm seeing Alicia and to tell you the truth I'm not totally sure if she's the one for me - but I think _you_ could be..."

Lula's smile faded and so did the sparkle from her eyes as she put a finger to his lips.

_"Gadget,"_ She said softly, _"We can't do this again."_

Her words cooled off the glow he had felt since they had made love and he looked at her with hurt in his eyes.

"Why not? You were all over me ten minutes ago!"

"We just can't see each other again." She told him, "I like you and-"

Gadget sat up in bed.

"And I like you too – and you're smart and beautiful –"

"_And I'm married."_

He stared at her.

Lula got out of bed and reached for her clothes and started to get dressed.

"You're married? You never told me_ that_ before!"

"I didn't think I needed to, I didn't think this would happen between us. I'm sorry, I like you – but I love my husband and we have to forget this ever happened."

She sounded upset but she had her back to him as she finished getting dressed.

Gadget wanted her to turn around so he could look into her eyes because he was sure what they had shared had meant something to her – but Lula said no more until she had finished dressing.

Then she turned around and looked at him and he saw a flicker of regret in her eyes.

"I like you a lot." She told him, "You're a nice, kind, sweet guy and if I wasn't married it would be different. But we can only ever have a professional relationship from now on. I'm glad you're happy with the reconstruction and I hope things work out for you –if not with your girlfriend, then with another woman – a woman who really deserves you. I have to go now, Gadget."

And she kissed his cheek.

He hugged her and she clung to him for a moment before slowly letting go.

Gadget managed to smile as he looked at her even though he felt disappointed.

"See you later." He said.

She smiled back at him and then left the room.

Gadget lay back on the pillow and gave a heavy sigh as he wondered why the hell he had been so impulsive – he had liked Lula from the moment he laid eyes on her and while it was true he felt grateful to her for the work she had done on him, it had gone deeper than that – not _quite_ love but in time it could have been... _maybe_...

Then he thought about Alicia waiting at home for him and all of a sudden he was feeling guilty although he wasn't sure why because he had never been sure of his feelings for her...

"_Why did you have to die?"_ He said quietly as he thought of G2, knowing for sure if she had still been alive he wouldn't have this problem with women - because she would have been the _only_ woman in his life.

* * *

><p>A short while later Gadget was ready to leave- after having a shower because he didn't want to go home to Alicia smelling like he'd spent half the evening in bed with another woman. He got dressed and put on his trench coat and hat and checked his appearance in the mirror. Then he told himself to leave the memory of this night behind when he left the room – because he was going to walk out of here, get in the Gadget mobile and go home and pick up his life where he left it off earlier that morning – he <em>had<em> to forget he had slept with Lula...

"Gadget mode on." He said, and as the message blinked at the back of his eye he remembered that all the worry was over now – he was upgraded, he had the reconstruction – now he could look forward to getting on with his life once more.

He walked out of the lab and found Gadget mobile snoring in the parking lot.

"Wake up!" He said at once.

"What?" The vehicle exclaimed, and then saw Gadget standing there.

"You're back!" The car said in surprise, How did it turn out, is everything okay?"

Gadget smiled.

"Everything's just fine Gadget mobile, let's go home!"

He got in the car and fired up the engine.

As they drove away from the lab and hit the long, straight road that led home, Gadget spoke up.

"Could you slow down a bit?"

The car answered in an understanding voice.

"No problem Gadget - after the reconstruction I guess you'd want me to watch out for bumps in the road..."

"No, it's not that – I'm fully recovered. I just don't feel like rushing home to Alicia."

"Why not?"

Gadget gave a weary sigh as he reflected on his impulsive actions.

"I think I may have got a little _too_ excited over my new body; I let things get a bit crazy back at the lab," And Gadget winced as he made his confession:_ "I slept with Lula."_

"You did _what?_" The car exclaimed, "Gadget, I know you're happy to have back a certain _vital piece of equipment_ but you have _got_ to slow down before your _new gadget_ gets you into a whole new heap of trouble – did you forget Alicia's waiting at home for you?"

Hearing those words made Gadget's guilt weigh heavier.

"I know that." He said uncomfortably, "And I'm not proud of what I did – it was just a crazy, spur of the moment thing that neither of us could control and it won't happen again. And I do want to get home to Alicia - I just want to take my time, I need to clear my head."

Gadget mobile carried on driving slowly.

" It doesn't matter how slow we go," The car reminded him, "You'll still get there in the end – and she's been waiting for you for hours!"

Gadget thought about it.

"Okay, step on the gas - I might as well see her sooner rather than later."

They began to pick up speed.

"I'll only say this to you once Gadget," The car told him, "You've had enough trouble over the years cause by your glitches - don't go causing any more over your _new junk_, know what I'm sayin'?"

Gadget blinked.

"Don't refer to it as my _junk!_"

"Okay, I mean your _new gadget_, Gadget!"

The car turned the corner and suddenly the house was in sight.

As Gadget thought of Alicia he felt his heart miss a beat he blinked away tears as he knew for sure he regretted cheating on her like that...

The car slowed to a quiet halt outside the house and Gadget got out and began to walk towards home.

When he opened the front door he stepped inside and closed it quietly behind him, then he paused as he suddenly felt nervous all over again at the thought of taking Alicia in his arms. He knew he was sorry for being so impulsive with Lula, but he wasn't about to let that ruin what ever he might share in the future with Alicia...

_"Gadget mode off."_ He said quietly, then he walked up the hall and went into the front room.

He had expected to find her there waiting for him, but instead he found a folded piece of paper on the table addressed to him, so he unfolded it and read the words written in Alicia's flowing handwriting:

_'Dear Gadget, '_ Alicia had written, '_I want you to know that my love for you is the only truth I have ever known. I was raised to believe cyborgs were less than human – but those lies only served to make me lose my own sense of humanity. I came to you as a person blinded by ignorance; but you showed me the truth. You even set me free from my chains when no one else would have done so. You have made me see life through different eyes. I love you, Gadget - I'll love you forever. And I'm upstairs waiting to take you into my arms in a bed full of rose petals. I want to love every single part of you – the flesh and the machine – because that is everything that makes you who you are and to me you are quite simply the man I love.'_

Gadget put the letter down and went upstairs.

With every step he took he knew for sure he regretted cheating on her now; _his thoughts were firmly with Alicia, the woman who loved him so much she had burned off her tattoo with acid..._

She was standing in front of the mirror when he came into the room.

Gadget went straight up to her, standing behind her as he swept her hair off the back of her neck and gently kissed her there.

"I've been waiting so long for you –"She began, but he held her tighter.

"Shh." Gadget whispered, pressing his face against her hair as he brushed his tears away, "I love you, Alicia – just let me hold you."

He hugged her for a moment, then he turned her around to face him and then wrapped his arms around her.

"After you've testified at the trial," He told her, "When it's all over and done with – I'm going to make you my wife."

As she smiled and her eyes lit up with happiness he lifted her into his arm and carried her over to the bed, gently laying her down on rose petals.

Then his eyes sparkled.

_"My gadget modes off!"_ He said playfully.

Then he took off his hat and trench coat and got onto the bed and embraced her once more.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Alicia asked him as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Gadget still had a smile on his face.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be – not just for this moment- I've worked it out now; I know for sure how much I love you."

"I love you too." She promised him.

He kissed her gently.

"I know you do, honey. Now give me your hand..."

As he guided her hand down to his hip he laughed at the surprised look in her eyes as he placed her fingers on the pipe that she could feel through his clothing.

_"Just touch it."_

"Touch it?" She wondered.

_"Yes, touch it, Alicia..."_

She gently ran her hand down the metal.

Gadget gave a soft gasp.

_"Wowser!"_ He exclaimed, _"That feels so good!"_

Then he grabbed her hand and pushed it lower, as she felt how turned on he had instantly become she looked at him in surprise.

"Wowser!" She echoed, and they both laughed and Gadget grabbed her, pulling her into a tight embrace as he felt sure he would never want to let go of her ever again...

* * *

><p>When morning came Gadget woke up to soft kisses from Alicia.<p>

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Good morning, future Mrs Gadget." He said warmly.

Alicia kissed him again and shifted closer, draping her arm around him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I want you to know something." She told him, "I would have loved you just as much as I do now even if you hadn't gone for the upgrade or the reconstruction – I just love_ you_ , I love who you are inside."

As she spoke her fingers gently brushed the computer chips that ran down the middle of his chest.

"I know that honey." Gadget replied, "And right now I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

And the two of them embraced in bed and watched the morning sunrise together.

While Alicia lay in his arms, he held her close but his thoughts were back at the lab with Lula – not because of what they had shared but because he was thinking about the hybrid cyborg who desperately needed to have a that new chip to complete her design before it was too late...

"How about you show me how your _new gadget_ works again?" Alicia whispered with a giggle as she slid her hands over his body of flesh and metal.

But Gadget turned his back and got up.

"Not right now - I've got some unfinished business to sort out."

Alicia's eyes clouded with confusion.

"What could be so important at this time in the morning?"

"I have to drop off some keys at the lab – it won't take me long. If I leave now I'll catch Lula in her office around nine a.m."

Alicia stared at him.

"But I thought today was going to be about us?"

"It will be, I'll spend all day with you," He promised her, "After I've dropped the keys off at the lab."

Then Gadget went into the bathroom and switched on the shower, leaving Alicia alone in bed.

"What keys?" She wondered, then she turned over and closed her eyes, deciding it was far too early to get up, especially if Gadget was going off to the lab and leave her at home by herself again...

* * *

><p>Brain scratched at the door and looked up at Penny as he gave a whine.<p>

"_Why_ are you so cranky?" She asked him, "It's like all you want to do is make me take you home to Uncle Gadget!"

The dog barked.

Penny looked at him in surprise.

"You want to go _home?_"

The dog barked and barked again, jumping up and down.

"Okay!" Penny exclaimed, "Don't get so worked up, Brain..."

She lifted the dog into her arms and gave him a hug.

"I'll take you home." She promised him, "I'll do it right now."

Brain licked her face as he wagged his tail, feeling glad that Penny had finally got the message – _he needed to get back home because there was something that might be very important buried at the bottom of the garden..._

* * *

><p>Gadget felt a little uncomfortable as he parked his car outside the lab and recalled the way he had taken Lula in his arms the day before.<p>

"I hope you know what you're doing this time!" Gadget mobile remarked.

"This is strictly business." Gadget replied, "I _do_ know what I'm doing!"

Then he got out of the car and headed off to the lab in search of Lula Smith.

After entering the building he made a quick enquiry and found out she was already in her office.

When he got there she was inside and the door was open and as he knocked she glanced up from her computer and surprise registered in her eyes.

"Gadget!" She said as she stood up, "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon-"

"This is strictly business." He told her as he walked over to her desk, "I've been thinking about what you said about how much you need G2's programming and I know G2 would have wanted to help that hybrid if she could, so I want you to take the keys to the Gadget Crypt."

And he slid the keys across the table.

As Lula accepted them their fingers briefly touched and Gadget drew back from her, determined not to repeat his mistake the day before, because he could write off once as a passionate moment that got out of hand but twice would start to add up to an affair and she didn't want to cheat on her husband and he had decided to stay with Alicia now...

"Thank you so much." She told him, "You don't know how much this means to me – you've given me a chance to save the hybrid."

Gadget paused for a moment; he still found it hard to talk about losing G2 even after all these years...

"After G2 died we had to have certain components that might have corroded removed from her body before we could bury her in the cemetary – I don't know much about the details because I was in a state of shock at the time but Penny helped me to make the arrangements. But I do know for sure none of G2's essential programming was removed."

Gadget fell silent for a moment, still aching in his heart at the memory, "But I want you to use whatever you can to save the hybrid. I just want her to have a chance to live – and it's a comfort to me to think that a part of G2 might live on, even if it's just a chip or some of her wiring."

"I promise we'll return her in a presentable state." Lula promised him, "You won't notice anything cosmetically different about her."

She handed him a consent form and he signed it right away, not wanting to take too much time to think about this.

"How is the hybrid?" He asked her as he handed the paperwork back to her, "Is she still stable?"

"She's holding on but we don't have much time to solve the programming problem. But we do stand a good chance of saving her thanks to you, Gadget."

Lula looked at him gratefully and he returned her smile but there was sadness in his eyes.

"I'm not just doing this for you and the hybrid. I loved G2 – I still do, I always will. I'd give anything to hold her or touch her one last time, even just to see her face again. But knowing she can help the hybrid in some way is the next best thing."

Lula thought about hugging him but instead she looked into his eyes and thanked him again.

"I'd better go." Gadget told her.

And then Lula remembered something.

"Gadget – could you shut the door for five minutes? There was something I wanted to mention to you last night but we kind got distracted and –"

He smiled and looked at her knowingly.

"I'm not falling for _that!_" He told her, "No Lula - you'll just have to control yourself, you have a husband and I have a girlfriend and we have to be sensible about this attraction we have for each other."

_"But Gadget –"_

"Let me know how the hybrid gets on." He replied, "I'll see you around, Lula."

_"But Gadget –"_ She said again, but he had already turned away and walked out of her office and was heading for the exit.

She gave a sigh.

"I wanted to tell you something..." She said aloud, wishing he had stopped to listen for five more minutes but he was gone now, so she decided to leave it and call him later, because this might be easier to explain over the phone – if he didn't jump to the wrong conclusion again, if he gave her a chance to explain...

* * *

><p>Penny used her key to let herself into her Uncle's house.<p>

Brain ran straight past her like a blur, dashing through the house and heading for the doorway that led to the garden.

"What's he up to now?" Penny exclaimed.

Alicia came down the stairs.

"Penny," She said in surprise, "What are you doing here? Your Uncle's not here, he had to take some keys over to the lab."

"What keys?" Penny wondered.

Alicia just shrugged.

"He didn't tell me." She replied, "And I don't know when he's back, either. How come you've stopped by today?"

Penny detected the coldness in her voice and felt a prickle of hostility.

"I stopped by because Brain was acting kind of weird – he just wanted to come home. I think he's been worried about my Uncle, he's been through a lot lately and dogs pick up on that kind of thing."

Then Penny's eyes narrowed as her tone of voice hardened.

"Plus the fact I'm Gadget's niece, I was raised by him in this house and I'll stop by any time I _want_ to, Alicia!"

"I know that." She replied, "And I wish we could find a way to get along better. I do love your Uncle, Penny."

As Alicia spoke Penny just shook her head.

"I'm not convinced." She told her.

Alicia tried to let the remark pass her by; the last thing she wanted was Gadget to know just how much his niece hated her...

"I don't have a reason to convince you." She told her, "You can think what you like – I know how much I love him and I don't have to prove anything to you!"

And Alicia turned away from her and went back up the stairs.

Penny stood alone in the hallway, looking up the staircase and wondering if she ought to go up there and _really_ start quarrel - but then Brain ran back into the house and dropped something slightly muddy at her feet.

"What's this?" Penny wondered as she picked it up, "Is this for Uncle Gadget?"

Brain barked.

"Clever boy, well done." Penny said as she drew the disc out of its plastic cover, "I think I'll take a look at this right now."

Brain wagged his tail and followed her through to the front room, then watched as Penny inserted the disc into the computer on the table and started to play it.

As the film played, she watched as Victor Mackenzie begin to speak – _then she looked on in horror as the whole scene unfolded..._

* * *

><p>Alicia was still upstairs and knew nothing of Penny's discovery.<p>

She stood by the window and watched for Gadget's car to return, feeling relieved she had put a distance between herself and his niece.

Then she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the Gadget mobile pulled up outside the house.

Alicia hurried back down the stairs and as she reached the bottom Gadget closed the front door and greeted Alicia with a smile.

"I'm definitely home for the rest of the day honey." He told her, "You've got me all to yourself now!"

"Penny's here." She informed him, "She brought Brain home."

Gadget wondered what was going on; Penny wasn't supposed to bring Brain back today... Then he noticed some mud on the carpet and wondered what that dog had dug up from the garden this time...

"Penny?" He called out.

"In here." Came a faint reply from the front room. Penny sounded too quiet and it made him feel concerned.

He walked into the room as he said her name again.

Penny blinked away tears and stopped the film.

"What's the matter?" He asked her, "Why are you crying, Penny?"

"I'm not crying for me," She said quietly, "I'm crying for _you_ because I know when you've seen this evidence your heart will be broken."

"Let me see what this is about." He said, and replayed the film.

As it began Penny reached out to stop it but Gadget gently pushed her hand away.

"No Penny, I need to see what this is about." He told her.

"Just let me explain first," Penny told him, "This is going to be a shock –"

But Gadget was already watching as the film played, recognising the reprocessing plant just outside Riverton.

Victor Mackenzie started to speak.

"This is the separation machine," He announced, "An amazing creation paid for by Laura and Jason Riley whose dedication to the cause must not go unrecognised. They are responsible for creating the machine that is the single most important tool necessary for the extinction of the cyborg race."

Gadget stared at the screen.

"Wowser! The Rileys funded the design of the separation machine?"

Alicia had already entered the room.

_She didn't know how or why the film had found its way into this house but all she could do was turn to the window and wait for the moment to come when all her hopes and dreams of a different future, a future shared with the man she loved was blown to dust..._

"I will now test the power of this machine," Victor said, "This is the key to taking back the power from the creatures of flesh and steel. We shall unite as one world, one race – the human race – and destroy every cyborg who ever married flesh to metal."

"Where did you find this?" Gadget wondered as he kept his eyes on the screen.

"Brain dug it up." Penny told him.

Gadget watched as two of Victors men dragged a struggling victim into the room and shot him with the stun gun. The bolt of power made his body jolt violently as the power surge threw him to the ground.

As his body jerked again the light bounced off steel pincers.

_"Claw?"_ Gadget exclaimed as he stared harder at the screen.

He watched as his old enemy was strapped to the conveyor belt and fed into the machine.

As screaming filled the room the machine was stopped and the bloody, mangled man with a partly crushed cyborg pincer was thrown to the floor.

"This is the only demonstration of the machine's power that can be witnessed," Victor explained, "If the machine had gone full cycle the cyborg known as Claw would have been separated flesh from metal and the parts carried away out of sight by the pumping system. The controls are simple to master – _this is my daughter's first attempt at operating the machinery_."

And the camera switched to Alicia Mackenzie, standing at the controls and smiling as she turned her hand into a tight fist and displayed her tattoo.

_"One world- our world."_ She stated, _"A world with just one race – the human race."_

Gadget took in a sharp breath and then breathed again but he still felt as if the floor had just collapsed beneath him.

"I'm so sorry Uncle Gadget." Penny said quietly, "I'm sorry I was right about her..."

But Gadget had barely heard anything she said as he walked over to the window and Alicia faced him at last as tears ran from her eyes.

_"It was a long time ago!"_ She sobbed, _"I was blinded by my father's lies - I'm not that person any more and I love you so very much!"_

Gadget was so close to her their hands were almost touching and she brushed her fingers against the back of his hand and when he did not pull away she hoped she was forgiven, even though he had looked away from her.

"Please." She whispered,"_Please_ forgive me Gadget! You _know_ how much I regret my past!"

Her hand was still warm against his but he made no attempt to hold it as they stood side by side.

Gadget finally turned his head and looked at her. He saw regret in her eyes and he saw her face stained with tears – but he could not forget what he had witnessed on that film of the day she helped her father test the separation machine.

"Every word I said to you was true!" Alicia said tearfully, "I _do_ love you, Gadget! So please forgive me – I can't lose you now, I can't lose everything that matters to me!"

His hand was still touching hers and she moved her fingers, trying to grip at his hand, hoping he would hold onto her.

Gadget's eyes had clouded with tears but he blinked them away quickly as he as he took a deep breath to steady himself.

_"Go go gadget handcuffs."_ He stated and the cuff locked around her wrist.

"No!" Alicia said as she struggled in vain to free herself, "Don't do this to me – think of _us!_"

Gadget looked into her eyes and the only thing that stopped him from breaking down and weeping because his heart was broken was the fact that he knew for sure that even if love had blinded him to the truth, at least he could see it now – and he knew what he had to do about it, simply because he was Inspector Gadget...

"Alicia, I can't let this go." He told her firmly, "Because you've committed a serious crime – and crime just doesn't pay. And there is no _us_, not now I know the truth about you. It's over between us and you're under arrest!"

* * *

><p>Penny waited at the house while Gadget took Alicia to the Police Department, along with the evidence that proved her guilt.<p>

Then Penny called her husband but got no reply so left him a message to say that she would be home late; then she sat and waited for her Uncle to come back.

When Gadget returned Penny ran to him and gave him a hug.

"I'm so sorry it went wrong for you." She said as she held him, "I know you loved her but it's better this way – at least you know the truth."

Gadget let go of her.

He was still upset at the memory of the cell door slamming on Alicia, and he could still recall the way she had yelled at him as he walked away, shouting_ "Didn't you ever love me, Gadget?"_, but he felt proud of himself for doing the right thing when he had finally seen her for what she was.

Now his sadness was taking a back seat as his detective mind began to seek answers.

"Where did Brain get that disc from?"

"Maybe he found it in the house." Penny suggested,"Perhaps it was Alicia's."

Gadget shook his head.

"She wouldn't have kept something that could have incriminated her – I think it must have been the Rileys. Maybe they even came to the house while I was out with Alicia. Perhaps one of them dropped the disc and Brain picked it up."

Then he frowned.

"But _why_ would the Rileys have the disc?"

As he thought about it he walked into the front room and sat down on the sofa and Penny sat beside him.

"Maybe they were planning to blackmail Alicia with it" She suggested, "If she'd known they had it she would have done anything to get it back and they wanted her dead so it's a possibility."

Gadget nodded.

"I think you're right." He said, and then he gave a heavy sigh.

"I should have known she was lying to me right from the start! I don't doubt she loved me in her own way but I can't forgive her lies or what she did to Claw. It doesn't matter that he was a dangerous criminal; what she did to him was inhuman and she deserves to pay for that!"

Penny spoke gently to her Uncle.

"That's what makes you such a special person, Uncle Gadget- you're a genuinely nice guy who believes in being fair even though we live in an unfair world - and you always try and see the best in people. Some day you'll meet somebody who really deserves you."

Gadget looked at Penny with tears in his eyes.

"I loved her." He said as he stifled a sob, "For the first time since G2 died I actually believed I'd met someone who I might be able to have a future with. But I guess it doesn't really matter because at the end of the day G2 was the only one for me and I know I'll never love anyone like I loved her, I know it won't happen for me twice in a lifetime."

As Penny looked into his eyes she saw so much sadness there her heart ached for him.

"Don't talk like that," She said to him,"You're so wrong – you'll meet someone special, it will happen one day, it _has_ to – you're _so_ easy to love."

Gadget managed to smile even though he knew he was about to break down and cry because he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Thanks for saying such kind words, Penny – but I think I'll probably be alone for the rest of my life."

"No don't think like that, Uncle Gadget."

"I won't fall in love again," He told her as tears filled his eyes," I was only truly happy once - when I was with G2. Those days are gone and I_ know_ I'll never be happy like that again."

Then as tears ran down his face Penny put her arms around him and Gadget cried on her shoulder.

* * *

><p>Lula was busy working on the remains of G2's programming.<p>

She had opened up the android head and looked at the wiring and electronic chips inside.

The main link between basic functioning and personality had burned out – she guessed G2 would have simply lost consciousness and ceased to function and that would have happened very quickly as the connection failed.

The basic function chip was completely burnt out.

Then Lula looked at the image on her computer of the hybrid's brain.

And suddenly, as an idea hit her like a bolt of lightening, she smiled as she ran through the idea again:

_The hybrid's basic functions were controlled organically – and so were the rest of the connections that required missing components._

_They didn't need to build a new chip - the faulty one had been replaced by the organic part of the hybrid's brain._

Lula ran her theory through the computer.

As she sat back and saw the result she smiled again.

"There _is_ a way to do this!" She murmured as she thought about what G2 had lost in the burn out - _the hybrid brain could compensate for that..._

The hybrid didn't need anything new at all, this was'nt about building a new breed of cyborg any more, it was about doing something that would work and bring back G2 as more than just a chip or a piece of wiring as her circuitry made the hybrid live and breathe...

Lula had decided now, there was only one way to do this:

She would remove the rest of G2's unaffected chips programming – everything that covered memory, personality and vision control and graft everything into the human hybrid body.

The graft would heal within two hours and the hybrid would self activate.

She didn't know how much of G2's memory would survive on reboot but she had to take that chance because this was the _only_ way it could work.

As Lula thought of what Gadget had said to her she felt her heart beat faster: _Yes, she loved him but she knew they couldn't be together – but at least she could do this for him, she could put a significant amount of everything that essentially made G2 who she was into the hybrid female and she hoped Gadget would take comfort from knowing that when he saw the end result of her work._

She didn't know if the chips would function like blank slates waiting to be rewritten or if it would be G2 who took her first breath when metal fused with flesh.

But she knew for sure the program had to be taken out as a single unit, so there was no way around this fact. And the vision chip was part of it and connected to G2's cyborg eyes and the whole unit would have to be grafted together- _all_ of G2's non damaged programming would fuse with living tissue...

_She was going to give the hybrid G2's memory bank, her personality and her electric blue eyes._

But there was one thing the hybrid still needed even after this work had been completed so it made sense to take the final graft from the same place the rest had come from – as she thought about it she hoped that Gadget would understand this when he found out about it :

_The hybrid had no features, so Lula was also going to give her G2's face..._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was getting later and growing dark.

Gadget was sleeping on the sofa and he woke up sharply as the phone rang.

As he grabbed it his first thought was Alicia - he didn't know why because she was locked up in jail, but all the same she was still in his thoughts – then he heard Lula's voice on the end of the phone.

"Gadget, I know it's late but I just wanted to let you know the hybrid now stands a good chance of self activating. I was hoping it would happen within a couple of hours but think she needs longer, I may have miscalculated that – but all the signs are good."

Hearing her say that finally gave Gadget a reason to smile again.

"The hybrid's doing okay? That's great news!"

Penny had just walked into the room after feeding Brain.

_"Hybrid?"_ She wondered, but Gadget was still on the phone.

She stood back and listened as he talked, feeling relieved that he seemed a lot brighter now - even if he still looked like he had cried himself to sleep a short while ago.

"I've had a bad day, Lula – but hearing that has really made me feel better! I'm so glad that hybrid's doing well!"

"There's something _else_ I'd like to talk to you about." Lula added.

"What is it?" Gadget wondered.

"I was hoping we could meet at my office so I can talk with you about how you're getting on with your new body."

Suspicion crept into Gadget's voice.

"_Why_ would you want to do _that_, Lula?"

"I'd like to check you over one more time and –"

Gadget laughed.

_"Sure you would!"_ He said knowingly, then he lowered his voice. "Lula, we both know that can't happen again, you're a married woman! You have _got_ to get your attraction for me under control!"

Lula gave a sigh as she wished he would just hear her out instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion.

"No Gadget, that's not what I mean – I just want to check you over and discuss -"

"You really have to stop this, Lula!" He told her.

"Stop _what?_" She wondered.

"Coming on to me!" He declared, speaking louder than he had intended to.

Penny's eyes grew wider. Something had happened between her Uncle and Lula Smith?

"I'm _not_ coming on to you!" She insisted.

"Oh really?" Said Gadget, "So what _exactly_ do you want me to come to your office for?"

"It's something private – intimate – I can't discuss it with you on the phone."

"Intimate?" Gadget echoed, "I bet it is, Lula! Please remember you're a married woman! I know you're infatuated with me because I'm Inspector Gadget, Riverton's greatest crime fighter but honey, the answer has to be No!"

_"But Gadget –"_

"I'll leave you to go and have a cold shower." He told her, "I can't have a conversation with you while you're behaving like this!"

_"But Gadget –"_

He put the phone down. Then he noticed Penny was staring at him.

"Something happened between you and Lula Smith?" She said in surprise.

Gadget knew he was blushing now. He hadn't meant to say so much in front of his niece like that...

"Yes it did but it was brief and it's over because she's married!"

Penny's jaw dropped for a second.

"You mean you slept with her while you were seeing Alicia?"

"Yes I did – briefly. I don't want to get into the details – it was a mistake. But Lula's infatuated with me! She keeps saying she wants to talk to me in her office."

And he laughed and shook his head.

"As if she needs to tell me anything new! It's all over and done with – she's just hoping to seduce me, the woman has no self control!"

Penny looked away for a moment as she tried not to laugh – her Uncle had _definitely_ got the wrong idea about Lula's motives. She guessed his recently improved cyborg body had also boosted his ego – _maybe a little too much._..

"Uncle Gadget," She said kindly, "Maybe she does want to talk to you about your upgrades."

Gadget shook his head.

"No, it's not like that Penny. I'm Inspector Gadget, crime fighting hero – of _course_ she's got a crush on me, I don't need to use my detective skills to work that out!"

"But she was the scientist who carried out your upgrade and the reconstruction. Maybe she just wants to make sure you're happy with everything."

Gadget felt his face get even hotter as his blush deepened and he recalled what they had shared.

"Penny, I think she knows I'm happy with everything, especially after I went to bed with the woman!"

"I still think you should hear her out." She told him, "You might be wrong – she might have something important she wants to say to you."

"No, Penny – she just wants me to take her to bed, that's all there is to it! I guess that's the price I pay for being such a famous detective."

Penny had realised by now he just wouldn't listen to any other possibility so she changed the subject.

"What's this about a hybrid? I heard a rumour the lab was working on a human-cyborg hybrid project."

Gadget blinked. As he looked at his niece he hoped she would understand his reasons for agreeing to let them take apart G2's programming.

"Lula showed me the hybrid. She's a female human cyborg – almost completely human – but they had a problem with her programming, so I let Lula take G2's essential chips and wiring to help with the project."

Sadness reflected in Penny's eyes.

"Well I guess G2 would have understood." She said quietly as he gaze shifted to the picture o the wall of G2 and her Uncle on their wedding day, and then Penny felt an ache in her heart.

"I still miss her."

"So do I." Gadget told her, "I miss her every single day, Penny."

Then he gave his niece a hug. As he let go of her he glanced at the clock.

"It's getting late; I'd better go to bed."

"I'll stay tonight." Penny told him, "You've been so upset I don't want to leave you by yourself. I know my old room's still locked up but the spare room's okay."

"You don't have to do that for me Penny."

"I want to." She insisted, "Now you go upstairs and get some sleep. I'll call Max and tell him I'll be home tomorrow."

As Gadget looked at his niece he felt grateful she was so caring – after finding out the truth about Alicia it was reassuring to know that Penny would always be there for him.

He kissed her cheek.

"See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Uncle Gadget." She replied.

Then Gadget went upstairs alone, into the bedroom that suddenly seemed so lonely as he tried not to think about Alicia, because she was gone forever now.

As he lay back on his bed he briefly heard Penny on the phone in the upstairs hallway, she was talking to her husband and suddenly raised her voice a little.

"What do you mean, my Uncle Gadget _always_ comes first? _He's my Uncle, he raised me, and right now he's upset, of course I want to be here with him!_ He needs me, Max. I'll see you tomorrow..."

Gadget gave a sigh as he thought about Penny and hoped he hadn't caused a big quarrel.

Then he closed his eyes and finally slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep where no more thoughts of Alicia could remind him that she had broken his heart...

* * *

><p>When morning came Penny woke up late and by the time she was dressed and ready to think abut going home, she realised her Uncle had got up a while ago - there was a smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen downstairs and he was talking on the phone.<p>

Penny went down the stairs to find out who the caller was.

"Lula," Gadget said wearily, "Yes, it's great news that hybrid should be waking up very soon. But no, I don't want to come and do anything privately with you! Please understand – I can't get involved with a married woman!"

He paused and listened for a moment.

"No Lula, I don't want to spend a few minutes alone with you – a lot can happen in a few minutes. I may be the greatest crime fighter in Riverton, but I'm still a man, I'm still human and I don't want you to put temptation my way!"

Then he put the phone down and gave a sigh.

"Lula's obsessed with me!" He exclaimed, "Why won't that woman just leave me alone!"

Penny had given up on trying to point out that maybe Lula just wanted to talk to him – but she still smiled, because her Uncle was looking a lot happier this morning; at least Lula was distracting him from his heartache.

"I guess she can't resist you." She replied, hoping at least if he believed that he wouldn't be so sad over losing Alicia any more.

Gadget smiled.

"Oh well it's not my fault if she finds me irresistible." He replied.

Penny laughed.

"Keep remembering that – Alicia's not the only woman out there for you, it won't be long before you find the right one."

There was so hint of sadness in his eyes now.

"Maybe." He replied.

"I'd better get going now." She told her Uncle, "I'll call you later."

Gadget kissed her cheek.

"Thanks for staying last night."

"Uncle Gadget, I'll always be here when you need me, you know that!"

He gave her a big hug.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Penny." He told her.

"You don't ever have to worry about that." She replied, "I'll always be here for you, Uncle Gadget."

And she smiled and so did he.

Then Penny left the house, got into her car and drove away.

* * *

><p>G2 was dreaming:<p>

_The first time she had met him they had been rivals. _

_Then she shook his hand and a spark passed between them._

_She could recall his face, his voice and his touch._

_He was not an android, he was a cyborg – more than that, he was the prototype._

_He had glitches, he was far from perfect – but she grew to like him once she got to know him._

Images ran through her mind: They were standing on a bridge and a dangerous criminal called Claw was driving straight at them

And he had stopped them with... _bubblegum?_

G2 struggled to remember his name – she needed his name because she knew she fell in love with him.

She remembered dancing with him... when was that? _Had it been at their wedding?_

She breathed deeply, trying to drag the memories into focus as she slowly came out of a deep sleep.

When had she last seen him? G2 recalled being in his arms, he was holding her and saying her name over and over as he begged her to hold on...then the world had grown dark.

His face was the last thing she saw, his voice was the last voce she heard.

_She knew he loved her._

G2 wondered: What had happened? Had she ceased to function? Could androids die? She was suddenly sure of it – _she had died, she had died in his arms..._

Then she took in a sharp breath and opened her eyes.

As she looked up an arc of pure energy shot around her eyes and turned them electric blue.

G2 blinked and sat up slightly, leaning on pillows as she realised her body seemed different and she wondered if moving about might not be such a good idea; her whole body felt soft, she could feel everything...it felt different – she couldn't make sense of it.

There was a woman sitting next to her bed.

She smiled at her and introduced herself.

"Hi." She said, "I'm Lula Smith, I'm the scientist who designed your new body."

As Lula spoke she looked into her eyes and wondered how much of G2 had survived the reboot into the new body. Maybe nothing had survived; maybe she was like a blank slate with no memories...

Then G2 frowned and turned her head slightly as she looked at her with a puzzled expression and said something that answered Lula's question:

_"New body?"_ Said G2, _"What happened to my old one, did I malfunction?"_

Lula smiled as she thought of Gadget and how happy he would be when he found out... She didn't care that the project had failed in the sense that they hadn't created a brand new life form – instead, they had created a new body and given it to G2 and suddenly she didn't really care about anything but the fact that she had brought Gadget's wife back to life for him.

"Do you remember anything? Can you tell me your name?"

"G2." She replied, "I am a robotic –"

"No," Lula said quickly "You're not an android any more. You suffered an irreparable burn out in your essential programming and it caused your body to cease functioning. But I took your personality and memories and everything else I could salvage that made you who you are – including your face and eyes and grafted you into the new body. You are now ninety nine percent human - cyborg and one percent human. You have cyborg speed and strength and organic tissue including skin and internal organs. You are also anatomically correct in every way and capable of reproduction."

G2 stared at her.

"I think I always wished I could be more human... I think I always wanted to be this way, I can remember saying it once, but I can't recall when."

Then confusion clouded her eyes.

"I think I was married." She said to her, "I know there was this man – he was a cyborg... I loved him. I think he was holding me in his arms when I ceased to function. He was crying..."

Lula smiled as she took hold of G2's hand.

As she explained to her, she tried to do it carefully, because G2 had just activated and her memory was hazy. Plus there was the fact she had to consider that her synthetic hormones had just started to kick in and she wouldn't be emotionally stable for at least twenty four hours.

"You do have a husband." She told her, "It was him who let me use your programming. He didn't know how much of it I was going to use – I decided on that after he had left, he doesn't know about you yet. But as soon as I leave this room I will call him for you, I will tell him you're awake. He's going to be so happy to see you again, G2. You're the love of his life."

G2 blinked and tears ran down her face as she felt a wave of emotion wash over her that was far stronger than her android body would have been able to produce.

"I love him too!" G2 said," I feel so much in every way...I never thought I could feel this much! I need to hold him in my arms, Lula..."

"And you will." She promised her, "As soon as I call him he will be straight over to see you and then you'll remember everything."

"How long have I been without function?" She wondered.

"A long time." Lula replied, "Your status was deceased for quite a while. But your husband will be so happy to see you again, G2."

As she thought about the man with the glitches who she danced with on their wedding day she gave another sob and wiped her eyes.

"I was capable of crying when I was a robot." She told Lula, "But not like this, not as _much_ as this... I just want to hold him...I wish I could remember his name..."

Lula explained a little more.

"His name is Inspector Gadget," She told her, "He was a cop and so were you. He's still a cop – he's still Riverton's famous crime fighter."

Suddenly a memory rushed back to her of exchanging chips with him.

She recalled the_ G_ that was on his chip; just like the_ G_ on his car - and everything fell into place and G2 gave Lula a radiant smile.

_"Gadget."_ She said, _"I remember now. Call him, I need to see him!"_

"I'll call him right now." Lula said, then she left the room.

As memories came rushing back to her G2 got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, pausing to glance in the mirror and catching sight of her body that looked so human. She ran her fingers through platinum blonde hair and guessed that would take some getting used to – but she liked her new body already, although she didn't have time to think about it – her flesh felt new and strange and she wanted a shower.

Then she planned to grab some clothes, get out of here and go home because she couldn't wait a second longer, she wanted to see Gadget again...

* * *

><p>Penny arrived home just before nine thirty that morning. She parked outside and saw no sign of her husband's car and guessed he had already gone to work.<p>

She got out of the car and let herself into the apartment and closed the door.

Then she gave a sigh and wondered if Max was upset because she had stayed away for the night.

She guessed he must have missed her because he had sounded a little bit upset on the phone when she spoke to him the night before, but it was just something he would have to learn to accept: _Her Uncle Gadget was her only family and if he needed her, she would always be there for him..._

Penny went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

She reached for a carton of orange juice and then gave a gasp as she was grabbed from behind.

The man was tall and powerfully built and he was holding a knife to her throat.

"If you put up a fight, I'll kill you." He hissed.

Penny took in a tight breath and closed her eyes, thinking about her life, her baby's life too – he didn't know she was pregnant. But if she struggled, if she tried to fight back she could be putting the baby in danger as well as herself...

Penny breathed again and tried to reason with him, deciding if he was a burglar she would tell him to take what ever he wanted – but if he was a rapist, she would fight him all the way because that situation would leave her with _no_ other choice to make...

"There's no money in the house." She said, "You can have my credit cards and the car keys – I don't _have_ anything else!"

Then he spoke again and everything became clear:

"I don't want your money," He informed her as he gripped her tighter, _"You're coming with me for a little ride...Claw wants to see you!"_

* * *

><p>Gadget was getting ready to leave the house when the phone rang again.<p>

He picked it up at once.

"Gadget here."

"I _really_ need to talk to you."

He gave a sigh. It was Lula again.

"Lula," He said, "I told you – no more! I can understand why you find yourself drawn to me – maybe helplessly so – but it can't happen again!"

"I know that you idiot!" She snapped, "Why won't you let me explain –"

"So what is it this time?"

"I want you to come over to the lab – you need to see the hybrid, she's awake."

Gadget smiled, feeling warm inside to think that a small part of G2 could have helped to give her life.

"That's good news. I'd love to come and see the hybrid but I'm planning on going over to the police Department today, I have some police business to be getting on with. I might come and see her tomorrow."

"Oh great." Lula said quickly. "Then maybe I can discuss –"

He cut her off right there.

"Oh no." he said at once, "_No, no no, Lula!_ You and me will _not_ be alone together. I'll come over to see the hybrid and that's all!"

"But Gadget I need to discuss something with you."

"Not right now Lula, I'm a busy man."

_"But Gadget-"_

He put the phone down and shook his head.

Brain was curled up on the sofa looking at him.

"That woman's infatuated with me!" Gadget exclaimed, "She just won't leave me alone."

And then he disconnected the phone.

"She can call as many times as she likes but she won't get an answer here!" He told his dog.

Then he put on his hat and walked up the hallway.

"Come on Brain, let's go over to the Police Department, I need to speak to the Chief."

Gadget went out the door and Brain hurried after him towards the Gadget mobile.

* * *

><p>As they drove along, Gadget mobile began to ask questions.<p>

"What's the matter with you now?" The car said, "I don't understand you these days – first you want Alicia, then you want Lula – why can't you find yourself a girl who isn't a criminal, _and_ who isn't married?"

Riverton Police Department was now in sight.

"Could you shut up please?" Gadget said, "I just want to talk to the Chief about Alicia- I want to make sure they understand that I want to be there at the trial. I was thinking about it this morning and I think I should be there – someone has to speak up for her because she has changed a lot and it's only fair the court knows that."

"Do you still love her?" The car wondered as it slowed to a halt.

Gadget got out of the car.

"I didn't say that, Gadget mobile! I just want to make sure she's treated fairly, that's all."

Then Gadget went into the building and headed straight for Quimby's office.

* * *

><p>"Come in." Quimby said as Gadget knocked on the door.<p>

As he entered the room, Gadget felt a little confused. The Chief had sounded so _happy_ to see him today?

Then he realised Quimby had company – Mayor Wilson was sitting by his desk.

Gadget went over to the desk and pulled out a chair beside her and sat down.

"It's so good to see you Gadget!" She exclaimed, then Mayor Wilson, wearing a figure hugging dress and killer heels gave him a big hug, momentarily pressing his face against her cleavage and making his head swim with the scent of powerful perfume before she let him go again.

Gadget straightened up in his seat and wondered why both of them looked so pleased to see him all of a sudden...

"You're looking so well!" Mayor Wilson said, taking hold of Gadget's hand and giving it a squeeze, "It's so good to have you back at work!"

She was _still_ holding his hand. He froze for a moment, feeling sure the Mayor had never been this friendly before, she had even shifted her chair a little closer to his now...

"It's good to see you." Quimby told him, "I was just telling the Mayor about how you exposed Alicia Mackenzie for the criminal she really is. Excellent work, Inspector Gadget, excellent."

Gadget smiled. It was rare to get praise from the Chief and he wished it would happen more often.

"Thanks Chief. But I actually came to talk to you about Alicia. I'm very keen to give evidence in court."

"Sure, Quimby said, "You can tell the court everything about her. You're a real hero, Gadget. She was protesting her innocence and she could have walked away from this if you hadn't found that film. She's the daughter of a piece of scum and no better than her late father!"

Gadget's smile faded, but Quimby hadn't noticed as he used the intercom and asked for some coffee.

Then he looked at Gadget and laughed.

"I'm taking a chance that your glitches won't cover us all in coffee. The Mayor has a surprise for you."

Mayor Wilson shifted even closer and smiled at him.

"As you know the Gadget Project has been so successful in reducing the crime rate – those kind of statistics help to keep me in office, Gadget. I'm having a big garden party at the end of summer and all of Riverton's finest residents will be invited. It's in honour of _you,_ Inspector. I've no doubt that many of the guests will make large donations to the Gadget project Fund."

Gadget looked at her in surprise.

"For me, why?"

"The Mayor blinked false eyelashes and gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"You uncovered the truth about Alicia Mackenzie – that's big news. And it's been in the press about your ordeal after you had your upgrade. You're our brave crime fighting cyborg Inspector and the whole of Riverton loves you. _And they've read all about your upgrade in the newspaper._"

Gadget's eyes grew wider as he looked at Quimby and the Mayor in horror, wondering if the whole of Riverton also knew about his reconstruction...

"Who told the press?"

"I did!" The Mayor announced, then she showed him the front page of the local paper: _"Gadget Gets an Upgrade"_ the headline read, _"Riverton's hero survives risky procedure."_

Gadget read the first few lines of the report, then he gave a sigh of relief: It was all about his upgrade and how the whole thing had almost gone wrong, there was no mention of the reconstruction he was very keen to keep quiet about...

He put the paper down on the desk.

"I'm flattered to think you want to tell the whole town how brave I am."

The Mayor smiled at him again.

"That's exactly what you are, Gadget."

_And beneath the desk, out of Quimby's sight, she placed her hand on Gadget's knee._

Quimby got up from his seat.

"Where the hell is that coffee?" He complained and briefly left the room.

Gadget sat beside the Mayor feeling a little uncomfortable. Her hand was _still_ on his knee.

He laughed nervously, remembering all the rumours he had heard in the past about man-eater Mayor Wilson...

"I don't think I'm a hero – I'm just a cop doing my job."

The Mayor was still looking at him.

"I read Lula Smith's report on your _other_ procedure." She said in a low voice as she shifted even closer, "I read all the notes - _and I saw the pictures, too_. I must say I was _very_ impressed..."

He knew he was breaking out in a sweat now – and her hand was _still_ on his knee...

"It was just a procedure." He said, "I'd needed it for a long time..."

"You'll have to come over to my office and tell me all about it." She said.

Gadget glanced at the closed door and felt sure he had never wanted to see Quimby walk through it as much as he did right now...

The mayor was still smiling at him. She licked her lips and her hand began to slide up his leg.

Gadget was still sweating and his only thought was, he needed to get out of here fast. Then he noticed the window was open and for a brief moment he wondered if he ought to climb out there and say _Go go Gadget Helicopter hat._..

Mayor Wilson looked into his eyes.

"Maybe when you stop by my office you can show me your _new gadget_."

And she gave his thigh a squeeze.

Gadget jumped up from his seat at once.

"I just need to find the Chief – I need to talk to him about police business." He said nervously, bumping into a chair as he made for the door and grabbed at the handle.

"Do come back, Inspector." The Mayor said to him.

He flashed her brief smile.

"I won't be a minute."

Then he left the room and shut the door behind him, breathing huge a sigh of relief to have finally put a distance between himself and Mayor Wilson...

* * *

><p>As Gadget walked away from the office, Quimby was walking up the corridor towards him.<p>

Gadget walked up to him and decided what he needed to say was better said here – he certainly couldn't do it in front of the Mayor... his thoughts briefly stayed with Mayor Wilson who had always thought of him as nothing more than a crime fighting machine... _What was going on around here? He used to simply be Gadget, the cyborg with the glitches – but now he had undergone the reconstruction he was starting to feel as if he was - what? Fair game for every woman in Riverton?_

As Quimby met him in the corridor he smiled.

"I was just chasing up that coffee – my assistant had some calls to make so it's going to be about ten minutes."

Then Quimby briefly placed his hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes with an understanding expression.

"Is everything okay? Is the _new gadget_ working okay for you?"

Gadget briefly felt embarrassed at his remark.

"The _new gadget_... um... its fine, Chief. It's not about that."

"So what is it? I'm busy, can't it wait?"

"Actually I need to speak to you right now, this can't wait." Gadget told him.

"What's this about?" Quimby asked him as he saw the serious look in Gadget's eyes and his own smile faded.

"It's important. Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, but make it brief – remember I've got the Mayor in my office and she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Gadget got straight to the point.

"I was thinking about Alicia and I suddenly wondered exactly what she's going to be charged with - I mean she helped to assault Claw but as far as we know that's it, she was under her father's influence at the time."

Quimby gave Gadget a pat on the back.

"Don't worry, she won't be walking free! The prosecution service has everything covered. She's been charged with conspiracy to murder, she's also been charged with conspiring to bring about the destruction of the cyborg population in other words, they're charging her with attempted genocide."

Gadget stared at him in horror.

"But Chief – it wasn't her - it was her _father!_"

Quimby understood where gadget had placed his loyalty now and he kept his voice low as anger burned in his eyes.

"Gadget," He said sharply, "Victor Mackenzie was hated for his intentions. But he's dead now and there's new evidence to incriminate Alicia in his crimes – besides, she's his daughter and _somebody_ has to be punished!"

"No!" Gadget said to him at once, "You can't do that to her! I arrested her for taking part in an assault for what she did to Claw! You can't have her charged with her father's crimes- she'll be in jail for the rest of her _life!_"

Quimby glared at him.

"The sooner you lose your childish attitude towards life the better, Gadget! Sometimes there are no happy endings; sometimes you just have to accept that. It's not up to us what happens to Alicia Mackenzie. It's politics, its public opinion. It's nothing you can change."

Gadget took a deep breath and spoke up, not caring if the Chief yelled at him or not.

"I still want to give evidence at her trial because when I got to know her she changed, Chief! _I want to give evidence in her defence._"

As Quimby glared at him his face turned red with rage, but he kept his voice low because he didn't want anyone passing by to hear any of this conversation.

"Gadget," He stated, "You're an idiot! I know you may believe she was a changed person but you barely knew the woman while she was in your custody! If you gave evidence to defend her your career would be over! And I won't allow you any where _near_ that court room, do you understand me? You can't beat the system, Gadget. You found the evidence, you turned her in. You can't go back on that. Forget about that Mackenzie woman and get on with your job!"

And then he turned away and headed back towards his office.

_"But it's not justice – it's not fair, Chief."_ Gadget told him.

Quimby looked back at him as he reached the door to his office.

_"Since when was life ever fair?"_ He replied, "Forget Alicia. Think about that party the Mayor's having in your honour. _You're a hero – keep it that way_."

Then he went into his office and shut the door.

Gadget walked out of the Police Department and got back into the Gadget mobile.

"Where to, Gadget?" The car asked him.

"Just take me home." Gadget said sadly.

* * *

><p>As soon as he got home once more Gadget reconnected the phone.<p>

It rang within seconds and he let it ring, pausing to hear there was a message from Lula, then he quickly erased it, having no intention of speaking to her while she was so determined to seduce him.

Then the phone rang _again_.

This time Gadget picked up the call, giving an impatient sigh as he guessed it was Lula again.

"Gadget." He stated.

There was a silence on the other end of the phone.

"This is Gadget." He repeated, "Lula, I'm not mad at you, I just want you to stop calling me like this –"

_Then laughter came down the phone that made his brand new skin break out in goose bumps._

"Who is this?" He demanded.

_"It's been a long time, Gadget."_ Said a familiar voice, "Far too long...but I haven't forgotten you. And I have a score to settle!"

Gadget's hand shook as he held onto the phone.

He had never expected to hear that voice again; he had seen the bloody mess that machine had turned him into and assumed he had to be dead...

_"Claw?"_ He said in a hushed voice.

"That's right, Gadget!" He said fiercely, "I have been waiting a _long_ time for an opportunity like this to arise! Bring Alicia Mackenzie to me. And no cops, no back up, Gadget. I'm at the reprocessing plant just outside of Riverton."

Gadget's voice darkened as he spoke to his old enemy.

"Why the hell should I give in to your demands?" He replied, hoping there was no solid reason to give in to anything he wanted – he wasn't about to put Alicia in danger anyway, but Claw obviously didn't know that she was now locked up in Riverton Prison...

Claw laughed again and Gadget gripped the phone tighter, recalling this man was crazy, evil and capable of just about _anything..._

"What have you done, Claw?" He demanded as he heard him laugh again and the sound froze his blood.

_"I have your niece."_ Claw told him, _"Bring Alicia to the plant by noon or I will kill Penny."_

Then the call ended.

Gadget put the phone down and drew in a shaken breath, fighting against the cold fear that was sweeping over him as a single thought ran through his mind over and over again: _Claw had her, he had Penny..._

Then Gadget grabbed the phone and called Max.

"Gadget!" Max said as he picked up the phone, "How are you? Penny said you were upset yesterday –"

"There's no time for this!" Gadget said quickly, "Listen to me – I'm heading up to the reprocessing plant. I want you to go to the lab right now and give Lula a message – tell her Inspector Gadget said he needs urgent back up - _tell her I need the hybrid_."

"Why?" Penny's husband wondered.

Gadget's heart felt heavy as he told him everything.

"Claw's alive. He's got Penny and he said he'll kill her if I don't meet him at the reprocessing plant. Don't tell anyone apart from Lula - I know this guy, if we turn up with a fleet of cop cars he'll kill her, we have to let him think we're doing it his way!"

Max sounded shocked now.

"Claw's got my _wife?_"

"Just go to the lab, tell Lula we need the hybrid for some urgent back up. And then bring her with you and meet me at the plant."

"Okay, I'm leaving now – I'm going over to the lab."

"I'll see you at the plant." Gadget replied then he hung up the phone, dashed outside and jumped into the Gadget mobile.

The car had been sleeping, snoring peacefully in the morning sunshine and as Gadget jumped in it woke up sharply.

"Hey Gadget, I was taking a nap!" The car said in surprise, "What's going on now?"

Gadget's hands were already on the wheel.

"Take me to the reprocessing plant." He said urgently.

"What's the rush?" Gadget mobile asked him, "I thought you wanted to spend the day at home, I thought –"

Gadget shut the car up with three words that explained everything:

_"Claw's got Penny!"_

Gadget mobile's engine fired into life and the car took off at rocket powered speed, heading straight for the reprocessing plant.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

In the half light on the exposed level above the heart of the reprocessing plant, Laura Riley sat on the floor tied to a pipe.

She had tried to work the rope loose but Claw had tied it securely.

He had kept her in a back room until now and every time he returned she thought he was coming back to kill her, but Claw kept the gun at his side and made no attempt to use it.

He had told her she was only useful to him as long as she was breathing; now as he secured a second captive who stood with her back to a pipe as her hands were tied, she wondered if she was still useful to him - because Claw had another prisoner now...

Laura looked away, turning her face towards the wall as Claw shifted closer to the young woman he had just tied up, feeling thankful in a selfish kind of way - born from a desire to survive - that she was glad someone else was the focus of his attentions now...

Claw ran his metal pincer gently down the cheek of Gadget's niece and brushed her long hair off her shoulder.

"Penny," He said darkly, "Always in my way, always such a smart little pest – always solving your Uncle's cases for him! That was so _very_ long ago."

And he gave a sigh as he leaned closer, running his open pincer slowly down her body.

Penny was shaking and as she felt his touch she gave a gasp of fear. As she met his gaze she finally saw his face, marked with scarring from his ordeal in the machine.

As she stared at him Claw smiled.

"You have grown up very nicely indeed." He murmured, "I wonder what I'll do with you after you've watched Gadget die in the separation machine?"

Penny drew in a sharp breath. She didn't want to let Claw know how afraid she was because it would give him satisfaction and she was determined to deny him that.

"When my Uncle gets here," She told him, "He'll _kill_ you for this, Claw!"

On hearing her words he laughed and once more cold steel touched her face.

"Your Uncle won't get the chance to kill me!" He informed her, "Because as soon as he walks through the door with Alicia Mackenzie, Jason Riley will give him a double shot with the electrical gun turned up to maximum voltage. Then he will place him on the conveyor belt and you will watch as the machine takes him apart!"

Penny drew in a terrified breath as she looked into Claw's crazed eyes.

He was dirty, he stank – he looked like he had been living here at the plant ever since the day he had been fed into the machine... but he had no idea that Alicia was locked up in Riverton prison – her Uncle couldn't have taken her out of there if he wanted to – but she had stayed quiet about knowing that because she didn't want to make matters worse.

Penny had already figured out the situation here: _Claw had taken Laura to force Jason to act as his minion – his reward would be to get Laura back and to have the chance to kill Alicia, but only after Claw had seen her Uncle Gadget walk into his trap..._

Claw shifted closer and sniffed at the scent of her skin.

"Oh my," He murmured, "You are a big girl now...how you have grown, my dear!"

Penny glared at him.

"Is that all you've got?" She demanded, "You're reduced to using _clichés_ to try and scare me? _You've definitely lost your touch, Claw!_"

Then he snapped his sharp claw in front of her face and Penny froze, staring at the vicious pincers.

He laughed as he saw fear in her eyes.

"After I've disposed of Gadget," He informed her, "I have plans for you, Penny. You're going to get to know me a _lot_ better!"

"You'll have to kill me first!" She said sharply.

Claw gave a deep sigh as he pressed his face against her hair and breathed warm on her throat.

"You have turned into a beautiful young woman." He whispered, _"I have such plans for you!"_

His lips brushed her cheek and then he turned away and made for the stairs.

Penny gave a sob.

_"Please,"_ She whispered, thinking of the only person who could save her, _"Get me out of here, Uncle Gadget..."_

* * *

><p>After taking a shower G2 wrapped a towel around herself and then left the room, crossing the corridor and entering Lula's office.<p>

She opened a closet and found a change of clothing – so she took them and put them on pausing to rifle through Lula's purse. When she had found what she was looking for she smiled; _Lipstick._ She remembered now, she _always_ wore lipstick...

She had just finished applying it when the door opened.

Lula stared at her.

G2 had taken the change of clothes she had been planning to wear later for a night out – she was wearing her short black skirt, a white top that clung to her curves and she had even taken her high heeled leather boots and her crimson lipstick, too.

"You're wearing my clothes." Lula stated.

"When I purchase more I'll return them."G2 promised her.

Then she snatched up Lula's red leather jacket from the back of her chair and put that on too.

"I like this." G2 remarked, running her hands down the leather.

Then she headed for the door.

Lula caught her arm.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, I want to see Gadget."

"No!" Lula said quickly "You can't just turn up like that – he needs to be told first, right now he still thinks you're _dead!_"

G2 frowned.

"Haven't you called him yet?"

"I tried to but he didn't give me a chance to explain."

Then the phone rang.

"Just wait there for a second." Lula told her, then she picked up the call.

"Its Max," The caller said, "Penny's husband. "This is urgent, Lula. Penny's been kidnapped by Claw. Inspector Gadget said I need to meet him at the reprocessing plant – and he said to bring the hybrid for back up."

Lula gave a sigh.

"Max, you don't understand – she's not exactly a hybrid any more. I grafted her from G2. Now she _is_ G2. Gadget doesn't even know she's alive yet!"

But Max had no time to discuss when to break the news to Penny's Uncle.

"G2?" He wondered, "Even better – she's a cop, that's perfect. I'll be with you soon. Make sure she's ready to leave."

Then Max ended the call.

Lula looked at G2.

"There's an intelligence agent on his way to pick you up and take you to a factory just outside of Riverton. Gadget asked for back up, he asked for the hybrid. He doesn't know you're G2 yet."

Intensity burned in G2's electric blue eyes.

"If he needs me I'll be there." She told her, "I can explain my new body later."

Then she walked with Lula to the exit, where they waited for Max to arrive.

* * *

><p>The car was tearing along the road at rocket powered speed.<p>

"Can't you go any faster, Gadget mobile?" Said Gadget as he held on to his hat.

Behind him on the back seat Brain put his paws over his ears as the speed almost pinned them back.

Finally the reprocessing plant was in sight.

The car slowed down.

"What's the plan Gadget?" Asked the car.

" I'm going in there and getting Penny out," He replied, "That's my first priority; I need to know she's safe. Max is on his way with the hybrid – but I want to make sure Penny's out of the way before things turn rough in there. As soon as I bring her out to the car I want you to keep her locked in, if there's any sign of trouble drive off, have you got that? She's pregnant, I'm not taking chances with her safety."

"Sure, "I've got that." Replied Gadget mobile.

They slowed to a halt outside the plant.

"Be careful in there, Gadget."

"Don't worry about me, Gadget mobile."

He got out of the car and Brain followed.

Gadget slowly approached the doorway.

_"Go go gadget automatic pistol."_ He stated and the weapon slid into his hand.

Then he glanced down at Brain.

"Stay behind me and be careful, boy." He told him, "This could get dangerous."

* * *

><p>Max pulled up outside the lab and G2 got into the car.<p>

"Take care." Lula said to her, "And remember your hormones haven't settled down yet – you might get headaches and challenging situations might make you feel unusually aggressive, at least for the next few hours."

"I'll be fine."G2 replied.

Then she looked at Max.

"Let's go." She said impatiently.

Max was still staring at her; the woman had platinum, jaw length hair – but she was G2; he was looking at Gadget's dead wife, she was sitting beside him in the car and very much alive now...

"I've only ever see you before in photographs at Gadget's house." He said to her, _"You're really G2! You're alive..."_

G2 blinked and now impatience burned in her eyes.

"There's no time for this – Gadget could be in danger, he needs my help – so _drive!_"

Max stepped on the gas and the car shot off away from the lab, speeding off in the direction of the reprocessing plant.

* * *

><p>Gadget stepped into the factory.<p>

The corridor at the entrance was dim. Far beyond it he saw the door was half open and the lights were on.

Outside the sky had darkened and rain had started to fall; he could hear it pattering, the other pattering sound came from Brain's paws as he followed close behind him.

Gadget reached the end of the corridor and pushed open the wooden door.

The place was deserted as far as he could see. He stepped into the room keeping a tight grip on the gun and looked up.

Penny was on the upper level tied to a pipe and as she saw him she gave a sob.

"It's okay Penny!" He called out, "I'm coming to get you."

_"NO!"_ She yelled, _"It's a trap, Uncle Gadget!"_

Then Jason Riley stepped out from behind the door holding the heavy electrical gun in both hands.

Gadget raised his weapon and fired, missing his target as Riley shoved him off balance, pressing the weapon to Gadget's neck. As he pulled the trigger Penny screamed and a burst of power shot through the weapon and Gadget's body took full force of the shock.

He slumped to the floor, hitting the ground as _Gadget Mode Off_ blinked briefly in his vision.

Penny was still shouting to him and he focussed on her voice, struggling to move as his robotic body remained stunned.

Jason had noticed he was still moving.

_"No!"_ Penny shouted again.

He raised the weapon, pressed it to Gadget's temple and shot him in the head.

This time the shock was enough to knock him out and his eyes closed and he stopped trembling and lay on the floor still as death.

Claw leaned over the balcony.

"Good work." He said to Riley, "Now put him on the conveyor belt."

Jason Riley glared up at Claw.

"Where's Alicia?" He demanded, "She was supposed to be here with Gadget!"

Claw aimed the gun at him.

"Worry about that after you dispose of Inspector Gadget, or I will dispose of _you_ and then your _wife!_"

Jason gave no reply as he began to drag Gadget towards the machine.

While this was happening Brain raced up the stairs, hid in the shadows for a moment and then ran over to Penny and began to gnaw at the ropes that tied her to the pipe.

* * *

><p><em>The world came back into focus.<em>

Riley was strapping him to the belt that would carry him into the machine.

_"No..."_ Gadget said weakly, _"Please..."_

He took in another breath and tried not to pass out again.

_"Gadget mode On."_ He whispered, but a small message blinked in the back of his vision that briefly said one word: _Offline._

Riley walked away from him went over to the controls.

Suddenly the machine jolted to life and Gadget knew he was moving; he was slowly being drawn towards the machine that would tear him to pieces.

He realised this was something he could easily get out of – _if_ his gadget mode had been functioning - but the electrical charge from the stun gun had shut it down...

Gadget heard Penny scream his name and he tried to stay focussed on her voice, but he slipped back into unconsciousness once more.

_"Uncle Gadget!"_ Penny yelled as she watched him being drawn towards the machine, _"Wake up!"_

Then she gave a sob as she turned her face away.

"Don't miss it!" Claw said to her, grabbing her face with his metal pincers and turning her head, forcing her to look as Gadget was drawn even closer to the machine.

Suddenly she felt a flicker of hope as Brain chewed through the last of the rope.

She burst free of her bonds and gave Claw a shove.

As he staggered backwards she ran for the stairs, only to give a shriek of alarm as he grabbed hold of her again, wrapping his arm around her throat to choke off her voice.

Then as she tried to struggle, he began to drag her up the steps that led to the rooftop.

* * *

><p>Gadget was weak; he knew it as the movement of the conveyor belt shook him awake once more. He looked ahead and saw the yawning mouth of the machine inching closer.<p>

_"Gadget mode on."_ He said under his breath, trying to fight against the weakness that was dragging him back towards unconsciousness, "Gadget mode _ON!_"

The message blinked again: _Offline._

Gadget looked down at the metal straps that held down his wrists. He couldn't even extend his arms...but he did still have his strength – at least, he had the last of it if he could stay alert long enough to try and use it.

He struggled to push at the metal, bending it as he tried to force it upwards.

His head swam and he blinked, sure that he was about to pass out again.

"Gadget mode on." He whispered, but the Offline message briefly blinked again.

He struggled again and his wrist came free as the metal snapped.

Gadget reached over and struggled to pull at the other restraint. His ankles were strapped down too but if he could free both his hands he had a chance of maybe stopping the conveyor belt or at least pushing against the metal jaws inside that machine...

He looked up again and saw the mouth of the machine looming closer.

Gadget pulled desperately at his trapped hand, trying to ignore the dizzy feeling that threatened to send him back into unconsciousness at any moment. He didn't know if the gun had done him long term damage or if it had simply stunned him – but the surge of power had been enough to knock out his gadget mode...

He struggled again to pull his other hand free as he fought against the weakness that swept over him.

_"Gadget mode on."_ He said again - and once more nothing happened.

Gadget kept struggling with the metal cuff that pinned down his wrist, and the machine was still moving, pulling him closer to the darkness and the steel jaws that were ready to tear him apart...

* * *

><p>Penny struggled but Claw had dragged her out to the roof.<p>

She tried to lash out but he had her now; he had her in a tight grip and as the rain fell he laughed.

"Any minute now your Uncle Gadget will be torn apart by the separation machine!" He told her, "And there's _nothing_ you can do about it!"

Penny kicked and lashed out but Claw threw her to the ground.

As she landed with a jolt she struggled to get up, thinking one more fall like that, any harder and she could lose the baby... And she was about to lose her Uncle Gadget too, if she didn't fight off Claw and get back in there to shut off that machine...

_He was walking towards her._

The rain was still falling and the skies above were dark, filled with angry clouds and as thunder rumbled and lightening flickered she caught sight of something on the rooftop: A sky light window was broken, the glass scattered about in pieces that looked like shards of silver as the sky had flickered like a camera flash.

He was almost close enough to grab her.

"Don't fight me, Penny." He said, "Because you'll lose just like Inspector Gadget has lost. I'm a man who takes what he wants – and I choose to take _you._.."

Penny was still on her knees and her hair was soaked with rain.

_"You can have me."_ She said, _"If you shut off the machine. Let Gadget live and you can do what ever you like to me."_

She slowly raised her head and the lightening flashed again.

Penny was looking up at him, she was pale, her eyes wide with fear and she was soaked to the skin as the rain continued to hammer down as if it would never stop.

Claw smiled and held out his hand to her.

"Compliance?" He wondered, "Perhaps I _can_ allow your Uncle Gadget to live for a few more hours - how long I give him depends on _how_ compliant you intend to be, Penny."

Penny slowly smiled as she took Claw's hand.

_His eyes were still locked on hers and he did not notice that as she got up and took his hand, her other hand had closed around a long shard of glass..._

Claw pulled her closer, his pincers taking hold of her face as he looked into her eyes.

"Gadget has maybe four minutes left. I shall tell Riley to stop the machine – do _not_ cross me, Penny! This is your only chance to save your Uncle!"

The pincers were hurting her face.

"You can have me." She whispered again.

Claw relaxed his grip on her and smiled.

"Of course I can. I can have what ever I want to take! I'll see you have reason to remember that every time I reach for you, Penny..."

Her grip tightened on the glass.

_"And I'll see you dead before that happens!"_ She hissed, thrusting it forwards and burying the blade deep in Claw's body.

He gave yell of pain and staggered backwards.

Penny took a step towards him.

"Did you _really_ think I'd let you get away with what you did to my Uncle?" She yelled as revenge blazed in her eyes, "You were right about one thing – this little girl _did_ grow up! _And all these years I've been waiting to find out you're alive – just so I can kill you, Sanford Scolex! You blew up my Uncle John's car, you almost killed him! He has to live as Gadget for the rest of his life because of you –_ "

Penny paused, drawing in a heavy breath as Claw clung to a low rail as he doubled up in pain and blood ran from his wound.

She stepped closer.

Suddenly her voice was calm as she spoke again:

"Did you _really_ think I'd let you get away with that?"

And the rusted rail was snapping, Claw was reaching out to her.

Penny gave him a shove and he tumbled off the edge.

She briefly stepped forward, looked down and saw his broken body far below, then she breathed for a moment, told herself now it really _was_ over... then she turned and ran for the stairway, because her Uncle didn't have much time...

* * *

><p>Penny ran back down the stairs and reached the upper level of the plant.<p>

She looked down and saw Gadget trapped on the conveyor belt, he gave another tug at his trapped hand and the metal cuff sprang free – but he was inches from being pulled into the machine...

She made for the stairway but Laura was up on her feet now, her wrists were raw with red welts where she had freed herself – and she had Claw's gun in her hand.

_"Stay right where you are."_ She said coldly.

Penny raised her arm like a blur, smashing into Laura's wrist and knocking the gun from her grip.

She came at her again and Penny struggled with her, as she glanced down at her Uncle and saw he was perilously close to being dragged into the machine now. Then Laura fell to the floor and dragged her with her and the two women fought and struggled as Penny desperately tried to grab at the gun that was on the floor beside them.

* * *

><p>On the lower level, Jason Riley glanced away from the controls of the machine as he saw a light at the end of the corridor- <em>had someone just opened the outer door?<em>

He grabbed the stun gun and ran into the corridor.

Two people were hurrying up towards him. The man pulled a gun but the woman waved it back.

"I can handle this." She told him.

Jason Riley saw the unearthly glow about her eyes and hit her full force with the stun gun.

As the power surged through her, G2 smiled and then tore the gun from his grip and sent it clattering to the floor.

_"Thanks for the hit."_ She remarked.

As she grabbed him by the throat he stared at her.

"You should've passed out...it's enough to stun a ninety eight percent cyborg..."

G2 kept him in her grip.

_"I am ninety nine percent cyborg, one percent human, all woman."_

Then her eyes darkened as rage took over.

"I am..."

She frowned, trying to find the correct word.

_"Irate."_ She stated, "I have a headache. I'm _not_ in the mood for this!"

Then she slammed him against the wall so hard the plaster cracked.

_"WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?"_ She yelled.

"You're too late!" He gasped.

G2 kept hold of him, dragging him through the doorway as Max followed and they entered the plant.

Max looked up and saw Penny stagger to her feet and then Laura Riley did too and they continued to struggle.

His eyes widened as he realised his wife was unarmed – but Laura now had a gun in her hand.

He raced for the stairway with his weapon ready.

_"Armed police!"_ He shouted, _"Drop your weapon!"_

Penny was still gripping at Laura's wrist, trying to keep the gun away from her. She saw Max running up the stairs, then she saw a woman on the lower level who briefly glanced up and as she caught sight of her face and saw the blueness of her eyes, she gave a gasp.

_"G2?"_ She said in disbelief.

Down on the lower level, G2 was dragging Jason Riley over to the controls.

Gadget knew none of this; he was already inside the machine and as the steel jaws came down his head swam as the effects of the stun gun swept over him. The blades ripped into his trench coat and continued to crush downwards.

He reached up and tried to hold them back.

_"GADGET MODE ON!"_ He gasped, but the message blinked again: _Offline._

As the blades came down exhaustion over took him and he wondered again if androids went to heaven because at least if they did he would be seeing G2 really soon; _that was his last thought because the blades were coming down and he knew he was losing consciousness again..._

* * *

><p>G2 had Jason Riley by his collar.<p>

_"Turn it off!"_ She yelled.

Riley blinked.

"I ...I don't know. I can't remember –"

G2 held him in an iron grip and smashed his head into the control panel.

Sparks flew and Riley slumped to the floor and finally, the machine fell silent.

Penny staggered to her feet just as Max was cuffing Laura. He led her down the stairway and took out his cell phone and called the Police Department.

As Penny reached the bottom of the stairs she saw Jason Riley on the floor and G2 stepped over him and went over to the machine.

Penny followed, giving a sob as she realised her Uncle had been pulled right inside the separation machine.

"Uncle Gadget?" She sobbed.

G2 leaned inside the machine, reached up and prised the metal jaws upwards with ease.

Then she lifted Gadget from the machine and laid him on the floor.

"Is he dead?" Penny sobbed as she looked at his torn clothing.

G2 knelt down beside him and cradled him in her arms. Then she ran her hand over his hair.

"No, he's alive" She said quietly, "He's been knocked out by the stun device... I don't know if it's damaged him..."

Then she wiped away a trickle of blood from a scratch on Gadget's cheek.

"He didn't used to bleed." She said.

Penny was beside her now.

_"G2."_

As she looked at her, she gave another sob.

"It really _is_ you!"

G2 looked a little puzzled.

"Penny?" She wondered, "When did you grow up?"

"It's been seven years." She told her, "You've been gone a long time."

Max was still on the phone.

"Cops are on their way." He said to G2.

"Tell them to bring Lula Smith – Gadget's hurt." She told him.

As Penny heard her say that, she looked at her Uncle and gave another sob.

_"Please be okay."_ She said tearfully.

A short while later as the Rileys were being taken away and Claw's body was being scraped off the ground after his fall from the roof, after Penny had explained it away by simply saying _"We fought, we fought and he fell.",_ G2 had carried Gadget back to the car and laid him down on the back seat of the Gadget mobile and Lula had checked him over.

"He must have taken a hell of a shock." She said, "He'll get over it – the charge from the stun gun's given him concussion. Take him home and make sure he gets plenty of rest, his system needs to recover from the power surge and he's been through quite a frightening ordeal, too. He'll be okay in a couple of days."

Penny looked at G2 and smiled.

"We'll take care of him." She said, thinking about the surprise her Uncle would have when he woke up and saw G2 again...

* * *

><p>Gadget slowly woke up to morning sunlight streaming through the bedroom window.<p>

He thought he heard voices talking softly then he wondered if he was dreaming.

Then it all came back to him; _the machine dragging him inside as he tried to hold the metal jaws back..._

He gave a gasp and opened his eyes.

Penny was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"It's okay." She said to him, "Just lie back and relax, it's over. Max showed up with the hybrid and they arrested the Rileys."

Gadget's mind was racing as he recalled being dragged into the machine.

"What about Claw?"

Penny looked at her Uncle; she couldn't tell him the truth, he was far too damned honest to have a confession like murder on his conscience and she knew this was one secret she would have to keep forever.

"He dragged me up to the rooftop. It was raining and I slipped and we fell onto some broken glass. But he still wouldn't let go of me. He tried to throw me off the roof but the rail snapped and he fell. He's dead, you can forget about Claw because he's dead now, okay?"

Gadget stared at her... _Claw was dead?_ That would take some getting used to – even five years before when he heard rumours of his death he had_ still_ wondered, he had _still_ waited, feeling sure his old enemy would show up again... _He was dead?_ Suddenly Gadget felt a huge weight lift from his mind and he wasn't sure if it was the effect of the stun gun wearing off or the fact that he would never have to dread hearing Claw's voice again...

"How did I get home?" He wondered, sitting up and realising he was in his pyjamas.

"We brought you home and put you to bed, you've been asleep for hours."

_"We?"_

Penny smiled and she kept on smiling. Then she glanced over her shoulder at the woman who stood with her back to them, she was by the window watering a potted plant and as Gadget looked at her he recognised her platinum blonde hair. He lowered his voice.

"The hybrid? What's she like, Penny?"

"She's amazing." Penny replied, "She saved your life yesterday. But she's not _exactly_ the hybrid that Lula planned her to be – _she got another idea instead_."

Gadget looked at her with confusion in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Penny was still smiling.

"She couldn't make brand new programming for the hybrid, she was running out of time. So she used -"

"Some of G2's programming, I know about that, she said she might have to use it."

Penny looked into his eyes.

"She used more than just a_ little_ bit of her programming." She said, and she got up and walked to the door.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." She said to the woman who stood at the window.

_And G2 turned around and smiled at her._

"Okay Penny." She replied.

Gadget stared at the woman who walked over to his bed. Suddenly he could barely speak as he blinked away tears. He knew he was looking at her, she was right in front of him – she was in the new body but it was definitely her – he was looking at her face, looking right into her bright blue eyes.

_"G2?"_ He said as tears choked up his voice.

She reached out and touched his face, brushing away a tear that ran onto her fingertips.

_"Yes it is me."_ She said softly.

Gadget gave a sob and pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight he never wanted to let go again.

"I've missed you so much." He said, then he kissed her, then he held her again and all the while he was crying and so was she.

Penny took a step back from the doorway and quietly closed the door, leaving them to enjoy their reunion.

As she walked back down the stairs she had a smile on her face; suddenly it seemed as if life was returning to the way things ought to be...

* * *

><p>Gadget lay beside G2 and held her as he looked into her eyes.<p>

"I can't believe you're really here!" He said, "It's like I'm in some sort of amazing dream. Maybe I died in that machine and this is heaven."

G2 smiled.

"I can assure you Lula grafted me into the hybrid, I'm very much alive."

And then her eyes danced with excitement.

"It's so wonderful to have this body – I can feel so much!"

Then she began to think about the future.

"I'm capable of reproduction!" She exclaimed, "I can have children, Gadget!"

As she said those words and he saw the look in her eyes he felt the glow of happiness at their reunion begin to fade a little. All of a sudden he was starting to worry – because she had a new body, she could have a baby if she wanted to – but _not_ with him...

"I guess that's one thing I'll never be able to help you with." He said quietly.

Then her smile faded and she remembered how Gadget's body was mostly robotic.

"But you've had an upgrade- I saw your new body when I undressed you. I didn't take your underwear off but I asked Penny what the pipe was for and she said –"

"It's reconstructed tissue." He told her, "It looks real, I know it feels real too but it's not the same – _I can't give you children_."

She fell silent for a moment, then she looked into his eyes and they shone with love.

"It doesn't matter." She told him, "I love you, Gadget. I just want us to be together always."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as tears blurred his eyes again.

"I love you so very much." He whispered.

G2 gently kissed him.

"Are you feeling better?" She wondered.

Gadget laughed.

"I've never felt better!"

"So why don't we test out your_ new gadget_ right now?"

He gave a sigh.

"Everyone calls it that! _Even Chief Quimby!_"

And G2 smiled.

Then Gadget looked into her eyes and felt a rush of love for her as he realised this was no dream; G2 was really here beside him and this time he knew he could love her the way he had always wanted to – it had also occurred to him that she had never experienced making love before and as he took her in his arms and looked into her eyes she saw a passion burning there that had never reflected in his eyes before.

"Are you ready for this?" He whispered softly.

She nodded.

"I've _always_ been ready for this, ever since the day we first met."

Gadget kissed her again and as he pulled back he was already aching for her.

"I'll be gentle." He promised her.

"Not _too_ gentle!" She replied, and grabbed hold of him.

They rolled together beneath the sheets and they embraced and kissed and caressed in a way they had ever been able to do before and finally, after years of wishing and longing for something he once thought he could never have, Gadget made love to his wife.

Downstairs, Penny heard a sound and she stopped in the hallway and listened.

Brain ran to the stairway and looked up with a puzzled expression on his face.

Penny listened some more.

Then she gave a giggle as she realised she could faintly hear the sound of something that was quite possibly a bed knocking against a wall...

"Come on Brain – let's go outside for a while!" She said quietly.

Then the phone rang.

Penny snatched it up, determined that nothing would interrupt the reunion that was going on upstairs.

"Is Inspector Gadget there?" Lula said, "If he's feeling better I really need to speak to him – _it's kind of a private matter.._."

"He's busy." Penny said quickly.

"But I just want to speak to him –"

"You'll have to do it another time. _Bye Lula_."

She put the phone down and looked at Brain.

"I think my Uncle's right!" She exclaimed, "That woman just won't leave him alone!"

Then glanced up the stairs and guessed they would probably be up there for quite a long time.

She picked up Brain's leash.

"Come on," She said to the dog, "I'll take you for a walk."

* * *

><p><em>The weeks passed by.<em>

Gadget went back to work and G2 slowly began to get used to her new life in her new body.

Seven years was a long time to be away and she began to look at how much had changed in her absence: Since her death, Gadget had gone back to being the _only_ cyborg crime fighter in Riverton – and she didn't want to change that because he loved his job so she delayed making a decision on going back to work in law enforcement, even though she knew eventually she would have to turn the job down because Gadget was the local hero and she wanted it to stay that way, because she knew he couldn't be happier doing anything other than being the great Inspector Gadget, and doing that by working alone...

Lula called several times - she called the house, she called Gadget at work, too. Each time he put the phone down or cut off the call.

By the time she had resorted to yelling at him on the phone, Gadget finally gave in and agreed to meet her.

When Lula turned up at the Police Department he was waiting for her outside.

She got out of her car and walked over to him.

Gadget just gave her a knowing look as he stood there in his trench coat and fedora hat leaning against the door of the Gadget mobile.

"This had better be the last time, Lula!" He said to her sharply, "Just say what you want to say and then accept it's over between us!"

Lula gave a sigh and looked around; people were coming and going from the Police Department and Chief Quimby's car had just pulled up, too.

"This isn't really the best place." She said to him, "We need to go somewhere private."

Gadget shook his head.

"I can't listen to any more of this! Even now when I'm back with G2 you just won't leave me alone! Just say it, Lula! Condense it down to one word, spell it out, say it – I already know what this is about – _all you think about is sex!_"

"No, that's not what –"

Gadget stopped her right there.

"_One_ word, Lula – what's his about?"

_"Sperm!"_ She yelled at the top of her voice.

Gadget stared at her.

Several people were looking at them now – _including Chief Quimby..._

"Do you have to be so graphic?" Gadget said in shock, "Don't you care that other people can hear you?"

Lula sighed again. It was hard to keep her temper in check but she was trying so very hard.

She finally spelled it out.

"I have been trying to tell you something for the past two months! This isn't about what happened between us – it's about your reconstruction!"

Gadget's expression changed.

"Do I have your attention at last?" She demanded.

Gadget nodded slowly.

Lula breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Because I need to explain something..."

She lowered her voice.

"Before I got distracted by what happened with us, I was going to tell you that I managed to repair the damage internally. I wanted to tell you there's a good chance that you might find your fertility restores itself."

Gadget blinked.

"My what?" He said as the words began to sink in.

"I didn't know when." Lula continued, "I thought it might happen after six months or maybe a year – maybe even longer than that. But I didn't take into account the fact that I used the synthetic tissue to make the repair. It speeds up healing. It speeds up regeneration and recovery I should have taken that into account!"

Gadget felt confused.

"Why? I don't understand what you're getting at. I don't know if I've got my fertility back."

She glared at him.

"I know." She said, "Because I'm _pregnant,_ Gadget!"

He was still staring at her and all the facts she had just given him were becoming confused.

He thought about it. Then he laughed.

Then a light bulb popped out from his hat and lit up.

"It must be your _husband's_ kid!"

"He's been out of town on business for five months!"

"Then it must be some _other_ guy you slept with."

He had said it with such confidence he had no idea how close he was coming to getting his face slapped.

Lula's eyes flashed with anger.

"There was only _you_, Gadget!"

The light bulb promptly vanished back into his hat.

"Oh I see...so it's mine? You're telling me I've got a _child?_"

The realisation had made him dizzy for a moment.

Lula quickly explained the rest of the facts.

"No, _I_ have a child and my husband has decided to forgive me for cheating on him. We've been married ten years, we already have a family! He doesn't want to break that up any more than I do!"

Gadget thought about it.

"I'd like to see the baby. And I'll take responsibility I'll pay you child support. I'll even talk to your husband if it would help."

"No, you don't have to do that." Lula told him, "He's a very kind, very understanding man. He loves me and he told me he's willing to bring the baby up with me. And at the end of the day you are someone I'll always care about and I wasn't planning to have another child at this stage in my life but it's not such a great disaster if I do."

Chief Quimby was coming over.

Gadget wondered how much of the conversation he had heard, but then he realised he had something _else_ to worry about...

"How can I explain this to G2?" He wondered.

"I'll call you." Lula said and then she turned and walked away.

Quimby was beside him now ad he had a decidedly stony look on his face.

"Did you hear –"

"I heard enough." The Chief said to him, "Come with me, Gadget – I need to speak to you in my office - _right now!_"

* * *

><p>Gadget followed Quimby into the building and all the way to his office he hoped he wasn't going to start yelling at him because right now he really didn't need it, not when he felt like crying...<p>

The Chief shut the door firmly.

"Sit down Gadget." He said sharply.

Gadget took a seat and looked nervously at the Chief.

"I'm sorry about that conversation in such a public place."

Quimby shook his head.

"I'm not going to yell at you." He stated, and he walked up to where he sat and put his arm around his shoulders and gave a brief squeeze and quickly let go again, and then he sat down at his desk.

"As one man to another, I can't blame you for having an indiscretion with Lula! I've seen the woman, she's beautiful! And I can just imagine how you must have been feeling, all those years you couldn't do what a man needs to do and suddenly you had your _new gadget_ and she was right there in front of you – _it's not your fault if you went at her like a bull at a gate; I would have done the same!_"

Gadget was staring at him.

_"A bull at a gate?"_ He repeated, wondering for a very brief moment what went on in Chief and Mrs Quimby's bedroom at night...

But the Chief had that understanding look back in his eyes again.

"Of _course_ you wanted her!" He exclaimed. Then he lowered his voice.

"Gadget, I know you've missed out for a long time but you have to be more _careful!_ Now you'll have to pay child support, you'll have the responsibility of taking care of a kid you'll hardly see and..." He gave a sigh. "I know how you're feeling." He admitted, "It happened to me once, many years ago. Some women are like witches, I want you to remember that Gadget – _witches!_ They weave their spell and before you know it you're in too deep and it all ends up in a big mess..."

He looked at him sadly.

"I _do_ know how you feel." He said again, "I've got a son in his teens away at college – but Mrs Quimby doesn't know about him and neither does the lady's husband. It was a situation that just happened once- it's difficult when you work closely with someone so attractive... _she drew me in like a witch_..."

And Quimby shook his head at the memory as his eyes briefly switched to a picture on his desk of himself and – _Mayor Wilson?_

_"You mean you and the Mayor –"_

"Just forget we ever had this conversation." Quimby said to him, "And _please,_ be more careful next time, Gadget!"

"There won't be a next time – I love G2."

"Sure you do – but us men, we know what temptations like, don't we Gadget! Maybe you should think about getting another gadget installed- _go go Gadget emergency contraception!_ Please think before you act on impulse in future. And keep this quiet – you're Riverton's finest crime fighter, we can't let scandal make the department look bad! Now go back to work and get on with your day."

Gadget got up and headed for the door.

"And Gadget-"

He looked back at the Chief, who still had that sincerely sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Don't forget," He warned him, _"There are some women you should just keep away from, they're like –"_

"Witches." Gadget said quickly. "I won't forget, Chief."

Then Gadget left the room, closing the door behind him and breathing a huge sigh of relief.

But as he walked away he knew his troubles were far from over - _he still didn't know how G2 would take the news when he told her Lula Smith was having his baby..._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gadget stopped the car outside the house and just sat there for a moment; he was thinking about the way G2s eyes would light up when she saw him, she would throw her arms around him and kiss him and look into his eyes just like she always did when he walked through the door – _until he told her about Lula..._

He loved his wife so very much; he had never wanted to break her heart like this.

"I don't know what to say to her." He said aloud.

"I'm not saying a word." Replied Gadget mobile, "I guess you'll just have to go in there and face the music."

"I think you're right" Gadget replied, then he walked away from the car and went into the house.

G2 was out in the garden watching Brain as he dug a hole to bury a bone. She laughed as the dog's paws moved like a blur and earth flew up in the air.

She saw him standing there and her eyes lit up.

"Gadget!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug and a kiss.

He hugged her tightly and then let go. As he looked into her eyes she saw there was something bothering him; his eyes were clouded with worry.

"What's wrong?" She wondered.

Gadget gave a heavy sigh.

"There's something you need to know about." He told her, This isn't easy for me to explain but I hope you'll understand."

G2 felt surprised to hear him say such a thing.

"You know you can tell me anything."

She sounded so understanding but she didn't know the facts yet and his heart felt heavy as he began to speak.

"Lula Smith's been trying to contact me because she wanted me to know there was a chance the reconstruction might have restored my fertility."

G2's eyes shone with joy.

_"That's wonderful news!"_

He looked at her apologetically.

"Not exactly." He confessed, "It worked right away, we know that for sure now. She told me today – she's just found out she's pregnant. The baby's mine. I only slept with her once and honey I am so _very_ sorry, please try and understand I _didn't_ plan this!"

G2 looked at him and wondered why Gadget was getting so upset over this; she was looking at the situation from a completely different angle.

"When did this happen?"

"Right after she finished rebuilding me. It was just this one time, it was a mistake..."

"Was my status deceased?" She wondered.

Gadget nodded and she saw tears in his eyes.

"I understand." She told him, "I was deceased – obviously you would have wanted intimacy with another woman eventually."

"Do you forgive me?"

She looked into his eyes and he saw only love there.

_"There's nothing to forgive."_ She told him, then she pulled him into her arms and Gadget clung to her, thankful that she still had the rational, android part of her brain that could stop to think about this before getting blinded by anger or jealousy.

She held him tightly.

"Don't cry." She said softly "It's okay..."

As she held him he felt a huge wave of relief wash over him because G2 understood and he knew everything would be alright; _he wasn't going to lose her..._

* * *

><p>Next day while G2 was talking on the phone about the party being held at the end of the week in his honour, Gadget left the house, got in his car and drove off in the direction of Riverton Police Department.<p>

It was a fine day and the sun was shining and Gadget had a smile on his face.

"You look happy." Said Gadget mobile.

"I am happy." He replied, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world! I can't believe how understanding G2 was when I told her abut Lula! I've got a feeling everything's going to work out just fine."

"Maybe you and G2 might start thinking about starting a family soon." The car suggested.

Gadget laughed.

"We've already made our plans. She wants to do that as much as I do."

"That's great news!" Exclaimed Gadget mobile, "You _know_ how much I've always wanted to be a family car!"

As they reached the Police Department the car slowed to a halt and Gadget got out.

When he walked into the building he wondered if he would _ever_ have a big case to solve again now Claw was dead – but this was a town with a crime rate of zero and that was a big achievement that he was proud of, so he assumed it was going to be just another quiet day...

He saw Chief Quimby walking down the corridor and Gadget smiled.

"Morning, Chief."

Quimby glared at him. His eye twitched, his face grew red and he looked at him like he wanted to kill him.

_"GADGET!"_ He yelled furiously, _"Get in my office NOW!"_

Gadget looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.

"But I haven't done anything wrong!" He said in surprise.

As Gadget walked through the door, Quimby slammed it shut behind him.

"Sit down you idiot!" He fumed.

Gadget took a seat at his desk feeling utterly confused.

"I don't understand." He said to him, "What have I done?"

Quimby's face grew even redder and he thumped the desk with his fist.

"What have you _done?_" He said angrily "I'll tell you what you've _done_ – you've managed to make the whole department look bad with your adventures with your _new gadget!_"

"But I thought you understood about Lula-"

"Lula?" Echoed Quimby, _"I'm talking about Alicia Mackenzie!"_

And he slammed a newspaper down on the desk.

Gadget read the headline: _GADGET THE LOVE MACHINE_ read the heading, _'Riverton's Hero Detective fathers second love child – this time by Alicia Mackenzie, daughter of notorious criminal Victor._'

He started to read the article.

_"Gadget took me in his arms and made love to made all night long, he made me feel amazing and he swore to me that we would be together forever..."_

He stared at the Chief.

"Alicia said this about _me?_"

Quimby was still glaring at him.

"She's pregnant. She was more than happy to tell the press the father is Inspector Gadget of the Riverton Police Department, the officer who was supposed to be guarding her at the time!"

"Sir, if you just let me explain –"

Quimby was still fuming.

"You won't be able to stand up for her in court now!" He told him, "You've just lost all credibility in this case by sleeping with the accused!"

Gadget put the newspaper down and looked at the Chief.

"She's having my child? She's in jail and she's having _my_ child?"

"I'm not surprised she went to the press." Quimby told him, "You abused your position, you were supposed to be protecting her, not sleeping with her! And of course she's in jail - _you put her there!_ If G2's forgiven you for Lula I doubt if she'll feel the same way about Alicia Mackenzie! You really messed up, Gadget! _Give me one good reason why I shouldn't ask you to hand in your badge.._."

Gadget thought about it as he broke into a sweat. _He couldn't lose his job now, not when Lula was pregnant and he had the baby to pay for – and he hadn't even started to think about Alicia's child – what would happen to the baby, she couldn't keep it at Riverton Prison..._

He knew he had to save his job and this was his only chance because the Chief was seconds away from telling him he was fired...

He drew in a deep breath. This was difficult, it would be embarrassing too – but the Chief only had _one_ sympathy when it came to his gadgets and he knew he needed to play on that fact because he had no other ace to pull from his sleeve...

He looked at him.

_"I should have come to you."_

Quimby stared at him.

"What?"

"I...I should have come to you." Gadget stammered, "I should have _talked_ to you...had that chat, one man to another just like you said. I just couldn't control myself, going all those years without something every man ought to have and then suddenly I had this _new gadget_ and... and I felt like I had to prove something to myself. _Obviously I'm deeply insecure about it._.."

The next part was difficult to say, because he knew if it worked and he kept his job, he was committing himself to many hours of Quimby's embarrassing remarks –but he gave it his best shot:

_"It's very difficult to deal with, I get so emotional thinking about what I lost and how I've got it back, how it's the most important thing to me – something no man should be without –"_

Gadget shut his eyes tightly as Quimby got up from the desk, bracing himself for more shouting.

Instead the Chief sat in the chair beside him and gave him a tight hug.

Gadget breathed a cautious sigh of relief – his plan had worked!

But the Chief mistook this for a sob and held him even tighter as he patted his back.

"Oh Gadget you should have told me how you felt! I realise it must be difficult to come to terms with everything."

Quimby let go of him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"You just need another man to talk to about – you know, manly things...your _new gadget_ means a lot to you of course it does – my um.._.gadget.._.means a lot to me! I like to think of it as my _best friend_ –"

Gadget cringed.

"Really Sir?"

Quimby nodded.

_"Mrs Quimby calls it Little Chief."_ He confided - and Gadget's face turned scarlet.

"You need to keep your best friend for your wife." Quimby continued, "I know you probably want to go after every female with a pulse right now but trust me, if you shut your eyes and go like a train she could be anyone, know what I mean?"

And he laughed.

Gadget was still blushing.

"I'll remember that, Chief."

"And don't be afraid to talk to me about these things, we're both men!" Quimby reminded him, "I understand how you must be feeling – I care about how you feel, especially about your _new gadget._ It must have been terrible for you to be without one for so long. I was rather concerned the concussion you got from the stun gun might have made it malfunction. So tell me, is it working okay right now?"

Gadget nodded nervously.

"It's fine."

"If you get a problem with it don't be afraid to share your worries. I remember this time when -"

Gadget stopped him right there.

"So do I still have a job?"

Thankfully the compassion was still there in his eyes.

"Of course you have Gadget. And I expect you'll want to talk to your wife about this mess with Alicia."

Gadget breathed a sigh of relief, thankful the subject had been successfully changed at last.

"If she's able to accept the idea I'd like to adopt the baby."

Quimby paused as he thought about it.

"That's understandable – but no contact with Alicia, have you got that?"

Gadget looked at him sharply.

"But Sir I can't just stay away –"

"You have to." Quimby told him, "This stuff in the paper isn't so bad – soon it will be yesterday's news. And to be honest there's nothing wrong with a man getting a reputation for what his _gadget_ can get up to, you're now Riverton's finest detective and you've earned a reputation as a stud. It's not so bad. Our publicity people can gloss over that and focus on how kind and courageous you are. But you can't see Alicia again. That really would look bad and it would wreck your career, Gadget. _You can't see her again._"

As he thought of Alicia, doomed to years in prison, locked in a cell at that very moment while their child grew inside her, Gadget felt an ache in his heart.

_"I mean it Gadget."_ Quimby said to him, _"Don't see Alicia Mackenzie ever again."_

* * *

><p>When Gadget left Quimby's office he hurried back to the Gadget mobile and got in.<p>

The car had many questions but he didn't feel like talking.

"Alicia's pregnant too and it's mine. Shut up and drive, Gadget mobile." He said quietly.

"What a mess." The car said as they headed back towards home, _"And now I'll shut up..."_

The car stopped outside the house and Gadget got out.

He heard Brain barking in the garden so he went around the back and found G2 throwing the dog his favourite ball.

As Brain ran off to catch it, Gadget walked up to her.

_"I'm sorry."_ He said, _"But there's more. Lula's not the only woman I slept with while your status was deceased."_

Confusion clouded her eyes.

"I don't understand."

"Alicia Mackenzie's pregnant. While I was guarding her, while I was supposed to be doing my job I fell in love with her. Of course that changed when I found out what she'd done but by then she was pregnant. I didn't know. I only found out because the Chief read about it in a newspaper. She's not coming out of prison. That's my child and I'm bringing it up. I raised my niece Penny by myself and Ill raise this one alone if you don't want to stay with me. _I am so sorry._"

As Gadget looked at her, he desperately hoped to see a flicker of understanding in her eyes - but he felt his heart breaking as he saw none.

"Alicia Mackenzie?" G2 said in disgust, "Her father was the leader of the ACR! They wanted to wipe out people like us! How could you, Gadget?"

He blinked away tears.

"Your status was deceased, I wasn't cheating on you! It just happened – I didn't know I could get her pregnant!"

"No."G2 said, "Leave me alone, I didn't want to hear any more of this."

She turned her back but Gadget grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.

"Please." He begged her, "I love you _so_ much! You want us to be a family –"

_"I wanted us to have a family of our own!"_ She yelled, then she quickly composed herself.

"Gadget let me go. I can't do this any more. _I'm leaving._"

She shook herself free from his grip and walked away, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the lawn while Brain stood at his side, wondering why his master was crying.

* * *

><p>Much later, after G2 had been gone for more than a few hours, Gadget called Penny and told her everything.<p>

It came as a relief that Penny already knew – because G2 was staying with her and she had told her all about it.

"Don't worry." Penny said quietly, "She loves you, Uncle Gadget. When she's had time to think she'll understand – none of this is your fault - it's nobody's fault, it just happened."

Penny's words brought him comfort but he knew he wouldn't be happy until G2 was back in his life. But the other matter that was heavy on his mind caused him equal heartache – the more he thought about Alicia and his baby, the more he was beginning to realise something he had been afraid to face up to:_ As much as he loved G2, he also loved Alicia Mackenzie..._

He thought about it until afternoon shadows turned to dusk.

Quimby wasn't an option – he was determined to ensure he never saw Alicia again.

But there was one other person who might help, someone with power and authority and she wasn't his kind of woman but right now his status with his wife was separated and as much as he wanted to change that he needed to make some plans for the future involving Alicia and the baby – plans that he could live with that would rest easy on his conscience...

_Gadget picked up the phone and made a call._

* * *

><p>An hour later he was speeding through the night in the Gadget mobile towards the house of Mayor Wilson...<p>

As the car drove through the gates of her palatial home, Gadget mobile spoke up.

"Are you _sure_ about this, Gadget?"

"I need to get her on my side. There's only one way to do that and if it gets me what I want it's worth the trouble."

Gadget mobile laughed.

"You do know she's supposed to be a man eater?"

Gadget laughed off that remark.

"I don't think she'll take much persuading." He said, recalling the way her hand had rested on his knee in Quimby's office.

"We should have stopped off at the drive thru." The car remarked, "Or got you a drink or some cigarettes first."

"Why?" He wondered as the car came to a halt outside her house.

"Because every condemned man deserves a last request!" Gadget mobile exclaimed, _"She's a ruthless man eater and you're on the menu tonight!"_

Gadget closed the door of the car.

"I'll be back soon." He replied, then went up the steps to her front door and rang the bell.

Mayor Wilson opened the door in a tight, silken dress.

Diamond ear rings sparkled like the necklace she wore that dazzled as she breathed a little heavier than usual and smiled at him.

"Gadget." She said warmly," You called at the right time. My husband has a meeting to attend and my kids are both out till late. Do come in."

He followed her inside and she closed the door.

She led him through to a luxurious room filled with antique furniture and sat down on a big, soft couch and patted the space beside her.

"Please, come and sit down. Tell me what's so important that you needed to speak to me tonight."

He hadn't expected this to be easy, but he could tell by one look in her eyes that the Mayor was just about ready to swoon at his feet. She might well have been a man eater with other guys – but it had just occurred to Gadget that as a cyborg, he wasn't _like_ other guys – and this woman was turning into putty in his hands...

He took off his hat and trench coat and placed them on a nearby chair, then he sat down next to Mayor Wilson.

"I wanted to ask you for a favour. It's about Alicia Mackenzie."

Her eyes hardened.

"Oh no- I don't want the finest crime fighter in Riverton associated with_ that_ woman again!"

Gadget gave a sigh.

"Please hear me out, Mayor – I just can't turn to anyone else. I want to keep the baby. And my wife had walked out and I don't know when she's coming back. And I need to do this my way..."

Then he reached up and loosened his tie and slipped it off, as he did that the look in her eyes changed once more and she watched as he partly unbuttoned his shirt.

"What exactly do you need from me, Inspector Gadget?" She said thoughtfully.

He recognised that tone in her voice and realised he stood a good chance of getting what he wanted.

Gadget draped his arm across the back of the couch then slowly lowered it around the Mayor's shoulders as he leaned closer.

She started to tremble and he smiled; she certainly was no man eater as far as he was concerned - in fact she seemed quite over come with desire...

He gently stroked her cheek.

"I want regular access to Alicia Mackenzie – regular access for the duration of her sentance. I want time with her on a weekly basis and I want those visits to be private, in secret, no questions asked. Can you do that for me?"

She drew in a slow breath as he pulled her closer.

"If this goes wrong you take the blame." She told him, "I will deny any part in it, you'll be on your own, understand?"

Gadget smiled.

"Thank you." He said gently, then smothered her mouth in a kiss that took her breath away.

As she tumbled back onto the soft carpet and desperately reached for him, she murmured how amazing she thought his cyborg body was, she begged him to take her, she whispered it at first, then she shouted it as she lost all control.

And just as she was laying there shivering with the intensity of what they had shared and her skin was shimmering with perspiration and her clothes were in a messy heap on the floor, Gadget looked back at her as he got dressed and gave her a smile as the thought occurred to him that Quimby was right: _He had shut his eyes and gone at it like a train and quite frankly at that moment, she could have been anyone his imagination wanted her to be..._

"Thanks for saying you'll help me." Gadget told her as he buttoned up his trench coat, "This means a lot."

And he kissed her again.

"I'll make the arrangements." Mayor Wilson said.

As she stood up and slid back into her dress he noticed her legs were still shaking.

"That was so good." She said, still sounding slightly breathless, "You were even better than I imagined you would be!"

Gadget smiled again.

"Thanks for your help." He said, "I'll see you at the party, honey."

And he gave her a wink.

Her face was flushed all over again.

"Goodnight, Mayor." Gadget said, then he let himself out of the house before she wrapped her arms around him and begged for a repeat performance.

As he got back into the car he was surprised that for once the Gadget mobile was not sleeping in his absence.

"You actually made it out of there _alive!_" The car remarked, "How did it go?"

Gadget smiled as they drove out of the gates and turned onto the road that led to home.

"It went just like I wanted it to." Gadget replied, "For once in my life I actually got something right! She agreed to everything!"

Then they drove onwards and as Gadget thought about Alicia, he suddenly felt less of an ache in his heart – he knew he was the one who had got her locked away, but at least he could try and make life easier for her now...

* * *

><p>Penny was sitting beside G2 as she sobbed and then she put her arm around her.<p>

"I'm sorry." G2 said to her, "It's late, your husbands gone to bed – I'm keeping you from him, I'm in the way."

"No you're not!" Penny told her, "Max understands - _he knows my family will always come first._ And you're a part of my family as much as Uncle Gadget is. But I still think you should just get some sleep and then go home in the morning. He does love you; I know it more than anybody! You don't know what he went through after you died, losing you once almost destroyed him – he can't go through that again."

There was sadness in her eyes as she looked back at Penny.

"But I feel so confused! All of a sudden I have the chance to have a family with the man I love and suddenly it's turned upside down because he's already having children with _two_ other women!"

Penny thought about it: G2 was right, it _was_ a mess and she didn't blame her for feeling upset, but she tried again to explain the situation as she saw it.

"G2, listen to me - he didn't know he could father kids. If he'd known he wouldn't have been careless with either of them - Lula's married and Alicia was in his protective custody. The thing with Lula was a one night stand that just happened – and he knows he never should have got personal with Alicia – he could have lost his job over it!"

G2 looked back at her with doubt in her eyes.

"But if that's what he's been like recently, whatever was he like before that? What's he been up to for the last seven years?"

Penny gave her a hug.

"He's still the same man you fell in love with. He's sweet and kind and honest and _nothing_ in life would make him compromise his values – he hasn't changed at all! Try and imagine how he feels right now – I'll bet he feels terrible about what he's done!"

G2 thought about Gadget and then she nodded.

"You're right, Penny. I think I should go and see him. But not yet, I need some time to think."

As she said those words Penny felt a spark of hope – it sounded like G2 was finally listening to her.

She hoped she was right because she didn't want her Uncle to lose the love of his life because he had made some very careless and very human mistakes...

* * *

><p>The days passed and Gadget heard nothing from G2.<p>

On the day of the party he felt like it was the last place he wanted to go to – but when he arrived and everyone made him feel so welcome, he started to remember when all else in life deserted him, at least he was still Riverton's greatest detective...

As he chatted to some guests Quimby came up to him and gave him a pat on the back.

"Hello Gadget," He said warmly, "Everything okay?"

"Fine, thanks Chief."

He turned back to the conversation but Quimby spoke again.

"And the _new gadget's_ okay?" He said discreetly.

Gadget's face began to turn red.

"That's fine too." He said, laughing but inwardly cringing as he recalled the conversation that had saved his job.

The Chief gave him a knowing look.

"I'm always here if you need to talk, Inspector." He reminded him, "Always. Don't forget that"

Gadget took a sip from a glass of champagne and forced a smile.

"Sure I know that Chief, how can I ever forget..."

Penny wandered over and looked at her Uncle.

"She's not here yet." She said quietly, "I don't know if she's coming."

Gadget looked around at the crowd of faces at the Mayor's garden party: There was no sign of G2.

"I'll call her later." He told her quietly, "I love her too much to let her go."

Mayor Wilson closed her hand over Gadget's arm.

"I need to speak to you in private for a moment."

Gadget looked at her and smiled.

He was getting used the feeling that he was fair game for every woman in Riverton and he was learning to handle it, too...

"I don't think that would be appropriate right now." He whispered.

"No." Mayor Wilson told him, "Come with me – there's something you need to know about."

He saw the look in her eyes and realised she was deadly serious.

Gadget made his excuses and followed her away from the crowd, over to the house where they stood alone by a large fountain.

"What's this about?" He asked her.

The Mayor glanced around to make sure they were totally alone and then she explained everything.

"You might want to reconsider your plans for Alicia Mackenzie."

Gadget's eyes narrowed.

"We had a deal."

The Mayor looked into his eyes.

"Gadget," She said gently, "Alicia Mackenzie is twelve weeks pregnant."

He looked at her blankly.

She said it again.

_"Twelve weeks!"_

"And?" He wondered, "What's so important about weeks?"

She gave a sigh. For a great detective, he was sadly _not_ so smart when it came to other matters...

"You didn't know her twelve weeks ago – she should be eight weeks pregnant, not twelve. _I'm sorry but that baby's not yours._"

Gadget stared at her. He felt as if the breath had been knocked from his body and for a moment words failed him.

"But she said –"

"She's lying!"

Gadget thought about it.

"Why would she lie?"

The Mayor put her hand on his shoulder and looked kindly into his eyes.

"Because some women are like that, Gadget! She's in prison, she's pregnant, she's thinking about her child and trying to give it some kind of future."

Suddenly he understood why she had gone to the press instead of contacting him – she was trying to tell the world that child was his because – But why? What was the big secret about the child's real father? Suddenly the pieces fell into place – not in a way he wanted them to, but as he recalled the way Alicia had been when he first took her into his custody, _something_ began to make sense...

And as Gadget thought about the truth, he made up his mind what he wanted to do.

"I still want to go ahead with my plans." He told the mayor.

She stared at him.

"But this is nothing to do with you! Don't you see, you can walk away from this situation now! Leave her alone, Gadget! Let them lock her up and throw away the key! Why should you care about her child? It's not yours!"

But Gadget was very sure about his decision.

"It's not that simple." He told her, "I know what I want to do – I've got my reasons and I'm not changing my mind. If she wants to say the child's mine, that's just fine by me."

Then he walked back towards the party, while the mayor watched him walk away and wondered if he had gone crazy...

When Gadget rejoined the party, Penny looked at him with curiosity in her eyes.

"What was that about?" She wondered, "What did Mayor Wilson want?"

He shrugged it off.

"It was nothing – could you do something for me, could you call G2 again?"

Penny just looked at him. Then she smiled.

And someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Gadget turned around sharply.

_"Hello Gadget." Said G2._

He blinked as tears blurred his eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming to the party."

As he said that he looked at her and thought she had never seemed so beautiful; she was wearing a white lace dress and her hair was up and sparkled with diamantes.

She smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"I've been thinking." She told him, "I've been thinking about everything and Penny's right – you _didn't_ plan any of this, it just happened. And we can still have children of our own, even if we do adopt your baby by Alicia - that's your child, so I want to welcome it into our family; I want to love that baby, Gadget."

As he embraced her he could barely speak.

The thought briefly ran through his mind that she would no doubt feel differently if she knew the truth – but things had changed and he knew if he wanted to keep his family he also had to keep some secrets too – _the kind he couldn't even tell Penny, because life had changed and there was no going back now..._

Then he pushed those thoughts aside and kissed his wife like he never wanted to stop, feeling nothing but relief that she was back in his arms once more.

* * *

><p>Months later, while the sky was black and the rain poured down like it was never going to stop, the Gadget mobile drove through the open gates of Riverton Prison.<p>

As the gates shut behind them the car spoke up.

"I don't like this place, Gadget!"

"You'll have to get used to it." He replied, "I'll be coming here a _lot_ more often from now on..."

He parked the car and hurried through the rain to the man entrance and showed his ID.

Gadget was led around the main part of the prison towards the infirmary and by the time he was in the corridor that led to Alicia's room, he could already hear her screaming.

He walked into her room and sat at her bedside, she looked up at him and wondered if she was dreaming as sweat poured from her body and pain made her shiver.

_"Gadget?"_ She said breathlessly,_ "Why are you-"_

"I wouldn't leave you all alone at a time like this." He told her, taking hold of her hand, "I want to be there for you and our baby..."

And he leaned over her and kissed her.

_Then pain shot through her body and Alicia screamed again._

Later, as the sun rose and Alicia slept deeply, Gadget stayed at her side.

She was exhausted after a difficult birth. As he looked at her he thought about his niece Penny who had given birth to her own child a while back; she had been lucky, a short labour and an easy birth to a son she had named Maxwell after his father...

Alicia's experience of childbirth had been very different; she had been in labour for hours, she had become exhausted, leading to a delivery that had required assistance and she had lost blood, needed stitches and she was going to be okay with time and rest - but as he looked at her he felt like crying because she had gone through hell and now he had to pick up that baby girl who wasn't really his child and take her away from her mother.

Alicia had been sentenced by now- she had been sentanced to thirty years – mainly because of the fact that she was Victor's daughter. If he could make life any easier for her he knew he would do it - but he couldn't bust her out of jail.

As Alicia woke up he brushed her hair off her face and smiled.

"Everything's okay." He said quietly, "The baby's fine too. You know I'll have to take her soon, don't you?"

Alicia blinked back tears and nodded.

"But she'll be okay she'll be with you, you're her father..."

Gadget looked into her eyes.

They were completely alone but all the same, he lowered his voice.

_"No I'm not."_ He told her, _"I know for sure because the dates don't add up."_

Alicia started to cry and Gadget put his arm around her and moved closer to her, stroking her hair as he spoke again.

"If you want the world to think that girl is mine, that's fine by me. But tell me who her father really is, because I want to know."

She gave another sob.

"She doesn't _have_ a father!"

Gadget fixed his gaze on her.

_"The truth, Alicia."_

Tears ran from her eyes.

Gadget spoke up again.

"I started thinking about the way you behaved when I first took you into my custody – then I thought about Jason Riley."

She gave another sob.

Gadget held her tighter.

"Did he force himself on you when him and his wife abducted to you?"

"No." she sobbed, "He's been doing it for three years! My father was desperate to make him happy because he wanted his money to build the separation machines...he said he'd give him _anything_ he wanted."

_"So he said he could have you?"_

Alicia sobbed again and nodded.

Gadget fell silent for a moment. Then he wondered if this evidence would make a difference to her sentance.

"You might not want me to do this but I'm going to arrange for a good lawyer to come and see you and I want you to tell them everything."

"Who's going to care about that?"

"It might prove you were mentally weakened by your father and Jason. It could make a difference."

Then Gadget carefully handed her the baby.

Alicia cried again as she held her for a few moments.

"I don't want to let her go." She said to him tearfully.

"You have to." Gadget reminded her, "Don't worry about her- everyone thinks she's my daughter – and now I have to take _my_ daughter home. _Let go_."

He felt as if his heart was breaking as he prised the child from her arms and she sobbed all over again.

As he walked away down the corridor he could still hear Alicia sobbing and tears ran from his own eyes as he held the baby in his arms.

_That baby cried for her mother all the way back to the Gadget mobile..._

* * *

><p><strong>Five years Later<strong>

_It was Emily's fifth birthday._

She was a tall, plump girl with her mother's fair hair – she looked just like Lula.

G2 had offered to have her birthday party at the house because Grace loved parties and wanted to share everything with her sister – even though Lula only brought Emily over at weekends.

Grace looked nothing like her father, a fact that Gadget was relieved about – Grace looked like Alicia, she even had her dark hair, something Penny had noticed when she had held her as a baby and smiled at him and said, _"She looks just like you, Uncle Gadget!"_

_He had kept his secret._

No one knew the truth, that Grace was not his daughter – except for Mayor Wilson, who he sometimes visited discreetly, she had done so much to help and he didn't mind thanking her by leaving her breathless every time... The Mayor had confessed that she loved him. He just smiled and took it as a compliment. The Mayor would always be useful now because she had helped Alicia so much on his behalf...

As the party came to an end and children ran around and Brain ran around too because he'd eaten too much birthday cake and sugar made him hyper, Gadget put his arm around G2 and smiled.

"The kids have had a great time today."

"They certainly have!" She replied.

G2 ran her hand over her own baby bump – their first child was due in a few weeks time.

After taking in Grace they had decided to wait until she was older before having a child together – a fact that Chief Quimby had picked up on. Only a few months back, when he heard G2 was pregnant, he had patted Gadget on the back, then made him cringe as he said:

_"Well done, Gadget. I'm proud of you. It's a good thing that you planned your family like that – it didn't hurt to wait a few years did it? You know what your new gadget can do, we all know it works...you've nothing to prove to anyone..."_

Gadget was watching the kids run around and play. Grace threw something into a deep, muddy puddle and laughed.

Emily glared at her, then ran after it, diving towards the mud in a lace dress that was pristine white – Lula had warned him that dress was expensive and she was_ not_ to get it ruined...

"Go go Gadget arms!" He said quickly, reaching for Emily.

He pulled her back to him and gave a sigh.

"What did you do that for?" He asked her.

Emily looked up at him covered in mud, her dress was ruined and she was wearing one shoe. The other one was in her hand and full of mud.

"It was a game!" She said as she looked up at him, "Grace was chasing me..."

Grace went over to her parents and looked up at Gadget.

"Sorry Daddy." She said, "I didn't mean to make her fall in the mud..."

He caught a sad flicker in her eyes that reminded him of Alicia and for moment his heart ached for her mother.

Then G2 gave Gadget a discreet nudge.

"Lula's here."

_"Oh no!"_ Gadget said.

Lula walked up to him and stared at the mess her daughter was in.

"I told you to be careful with her dress!"

"I'm sorry, she was playing, she fell in the mud."

He quickly handed over his daughter.

"Sorry about that. See you next weekend."

Then he turned away.

_"But Daddy –"_ He heard his daughter call out, then Lula called him too.

"I've got go, I need to help G2 clean up after the kids." He called back.

_"But Gadget –"_ Lula said.

He made a move to walk over to the table and clear away the food.

_"Gadget!"_ She said sharply.

He turned around.

Lula gave him a weary look.

_"Wrong child."_ She corrected him.

He blinked.

"What?"

_"Wrong child."_ She repeated.

Then he looked down and saw a confused Grace holding Lula's hand, while a mud - covered Emily stood beside him looking up at him.

Gadget laughed.

"Sorry." He said quickly, taking back Grace and handing over Emily instead.

G2 laughed as Lula walked away – this time with the _right_ child.

"Come on," She said to Gadget, "Let's get this party cleared up."

* * *

><p>Much later, after the party was cleared away and Grace was asleep and G2 had gone to bed early, Gadget got into the Gadget mobile and made the now familiar drive over to Riverton Prison. His theory about getting her sentance cut five years ago had worked- but Alicia was still serving time. She would be in jail for at <em>least<em> another ten years...

When he arrived at the prison the car spoke up.

"See you soon Gadget." It said, and as he walked towards the entrance to the jail he smiled as he heard the familiar sound of the car snoring in his absence.

Gadget was escorted down to Alicia's cell – a comfortable, private cell that she had been in for several years now- then the guard locked the door and left Inspector Gadget alone with the prisoner to ensure absolute privacy – just like she always did, because that was what she was paid to do...

Alicia turned around and smiled as she saw the familiar figure standing in the cell wearing his trench coat and fedora hat.

"Gadget." She said warmly, and walked over to him and put her arms around him.

He held her tightly and then gently kissed her.

"Are you okay?" He said to her.

"I've been counting the days waiting to see you again!" She told him.

Gadget felt a rush of emotion that he had given up fighting long ago.

"Me too." He told her, and kissed her again.

Then they sat down together and he showed her some pictures from the party.

As she saw images of her daughter at the party her eyes lit up with joy.

"Did you take these pictures for me?"

"I took them because it was Emily's birthday – but I made the extra copies for you because I wanted you to see Grace having such a good time."

Alicia looked into his eyes.

"I love you so much, Gadget." She told him, "I still can't believe you've done so much to help me – and you're even bringing up Grace for me. I love you but I know I don't deserve you."

Gadget slid his arms around her again and looked deeply into her eyes.

As he spoke to her, he said the words he could never say to anyone else in his life – the truth, because the truth was a dangerous thing that had the potential to wreck his marriage and career if the secret ever came out:

_"I do everything for you because I love you."_ He whispered as he held her, _"I can't help it if I love you, I just do – I'll love you forever."_

Then as they sat together in the cell, Gadget held on to her and kissed her again, making the most of the short but precious time they could share together.

An hour later Gadget left Riverton Prison and got back into his car, the Gadget mobile started the engine and turned around and they headed back towards home. As he drove, he thought of Alicia and then thought about his wife and family waiting at home for him. He had never planned to fall in love with two women who he could not choose between but life had turned out that way and he had accepted it – because it was the _only_ thing he could do under the circumstances.

Rain began to fall again and Gadget mobile put the top up and they drove on through the darkness.

Gadget sat back and let Gadget mobile drive because his thoughts were still partly with Alicia and he wanted to concentrate on his family instead – _at least until next week came around and he got to see Alicia again..._

And then they got closer to home and Gadget pushed thoughts of Alicia far from his mind, it was hard to do but he was almost home now and he could only think of his family right now, that was the way things had to be.

And with those thoughts in mind, Riverton's finest detective, a cyborg crime fighter with a heart and soul no less human than any other man, went home to his family – keeping locked in his heart the secrets he could never share with them -_ because like other men who had ever loved, Inspector Gadget had his secrets to keep too and he knew that he always would..._

The End.

**Author Note: This story continues in Book 2: Man and Machine**


End file.
